Syrian Government, SDF agree on Hasakah integration

Shafaq News– Damascus

The Syrian Presidency announced on Tuesday that Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reached a preliminary framework on Hasakah, outlining steps toward administrative and military integration.

In a statement carried by state-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the presidency set a four-day window for the SDF to submit an implementation plan. If approved, Syrian army units would remain outside the centers of Hasakah and Qamishli. Subsequent talks, it noted, would define timelines and technical arrangements for integrating the province, including Qamishli.

The framework bars Syrian forces from entering Kurdish villages and limits security there to locally recruited units, the presidency said, adding that the agreement authorizes SDF commander Mazloum Abdi to nominate a deputy defense minister, propose a governor for Hasakah, submit candidates for the People’s Assembly, and recommend personnel for state institutions. The sides agreed in principle to absorb SDF military and security elements into the Ministries of Defense and Interior, with details to be finalized, while civil institutions run by the Kurdish-led group would also transfer to state administration.

The presidency affirmed that implementation of Decree No. 13 —covering Kurdish linguistic, cultural, and citizenship rights— will begin at 8:00 p.m. local time, describing the move as part of a unified-state model based on partnership and equal rights.

Earlier, sources told Shafaq News that talks between Abdi and transitional President Ahmad Al-Sharaa ended without agreement. Accounts indicated Damascus conditioned progress on deploying Interior Ministry forces in Hasakah, while Abdi maintained that the city and its civilian administration should remain under SDF control. Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani has repeatedly urged an immediate ceasefire and adherence to previously signed accords as the path to stability.