Is Syria’s Sharaa poised to outdo Turkey in formalizing gains for Kurds?
Damascus is making limited but tangible progress in its engagement with Syrian Kurds, even as Ankara seeks to shape the terms of any settlement.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with a Kurdish delegation led by Mazlum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus on Thursday to assess ongoing efforts to integrate Kurdish civilian and security structures with the central government. The effort is central to Sharaa’s push to unite Syria’s diverse ethnic and religious groups and consolidate his grip over the country.
Also present were Syria’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani; the Kurds’ de facto foreign minister, Ilham Ahmed; and Sharaa’s envoy for the Kurdish file, Ziad al-Ayesh. The talks were cordial, according to well-placed sources who briefed Al-Monitor on their substance on condition that they not be identified by name.
Kobane’s trip, which kicked off on Tuesday, came as US forces pulled out of their last base in Qasrak, in northeast Syria, as confirmed by a US official to Al-Monitor. Syria’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Thursday that the handover of US bases to Syrian forces reflected ongoing efforts by the Syrian government to “unify the country … and represents a natural outcome of the successful integration of the SDF into national structures." The presence of US troops — deployed to the region since 2014 to lead SDF-supported operations against the Islamic State (ISIS) — provided the Kurds with critical security cover and strengthened their hand vis-a-vis Damascus.
Progress has been made in a number of areas since a US-brokered agreement that ended protracted clashes between the SDF and Damascus came into effect Jan. 29. Thousands of Kurds displaced from Afrin following Turkey’s 2018 invasion of the enclave continue to return to their homes. Thousands of others who were forced to flee the town of Ras al-Ain when Turkey launched another invasion in 2019 are preparing to go back as Turkish forces continue to withdraw from the area. Roads between Qamishli and Kobani have reopened, and prisoner exchanges between Damascus and the SDF continue apace.
