Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), met Wednesday in Damascus with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, alongside U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, in a bid to revive stalled efforts to integrate Kurdish-led institutions into the Syrian state.
Commander of Syrian Kurdish-led forces Mazloum Abdi, Reuters/Orhan Qereman
Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), met Wednesday in Damascus with interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, alongside U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, in a bid to revive stalled efforts to integrate Kurdish-led institutions into the Syrian state.
The meeting follows a U.S.-brokered agreement signed on March 10 between Abdi and al-Sharaa. However, its implementation has faced delays due to sharp disagreements.
The Kurdish administration, which governs large oil- and gas-rich areas in northern and northeastern Syria, demands a decentralized governance model—an idea firmly rejected by Syria’s new Islamist-led authorities.
The U.S.-backed SDF played a pivotal role in defeating ISIS in Syria. But the current government, which ousted Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, insists on dismantling all armed groups in the country. Kurdish leaders, however, are unwilling to disband their military forces, citing the need for regional autonomy and protection.
In May, Abdi emphasized the need for a decentralized Syria where all communities could coexist, warning that centralization would only deepen divisions. Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Chaibani had earlier cautioned that delays in implementing the agreement could fuel continued instability after 14 years of civil war.
The struggle to define Syria’s future governance remains a core challenge for the country’s fragile political transition.
Israel is prepared for "weeks" more of fighting in Iran, a military spokesman said on Tuesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview the war was "beyond the halfway point."
Iran attacked and set ablaze a fully loaded crude oil tanker off Dubai on early on Tuesday, after President Donald Trump warned the United States would obliterate Iran's energy plants and oil wells if it does not open the Strait of Hormuz.
Bahrain has arrested three individuals accused of forming a Hezbollah-linked cell involved in espionage, coordination with foreign actors, and financing operations threatening the kingdom's security, the latest in a wave of Gulf states dismantling Iran's proxy network on their soil.
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