The SDF, which created a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Syria during a 14-year civil war, has been negotiating with the new government in the capital Damascus, formed by former opposition forces after overthrowing President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, according to Reuters.
SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi said in an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Asharq News channel last week that the SDF is ready to merge with the new Ministry of Defense but as “a military bloc” and not dissolved.
Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra during an interview in the Syrian capital Damascus on January 19
However, in an interview with Reuters today, January 19, Minister Abu Qasra said he rejected the SDF’s above proposal, according to Reuters. “We say that they will join the Ministry of Defense in the hierarchy of the Ministry of Defense and be allocated in a military way…But for them to remain a military bloc within the Ministry of Defense, a bloc like That is not appropriate in a large organization,” Mr. Abu Qasra, appointed minister of defense on December 21, 2024, emphasized.
One of Minister Abu Qasra’s priorities since taking office has been to bring the many anti-Assad factions into a unified command structure. However, doing so with the SDF has been challenging. The US views the SDF as a key ally against the self-proclaimed Islamic State (IS), but neighboring Turkey views the SDF as a national security threat.
The Syrian Kurdish People’s Defense Unit (YPG) makes up the majority of the SDF. Meanwhile, Ankara views the YPG as an extension of its domestic enemy, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has led a decades-long rebellion against the Turkish state.
Minister Abu Qasra said he met with SDF leaders but accused them of “delaying” negotiations on annexation into the Syrian Defense Ministry like other militia factions and insisted on annexation This is the “right of the Syrian state”.
Mr. Abu Qasra was appointed to the transitional government about two weeks after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group led the offensive to overthrow Mr. Assad.
Mr. Abu Qasra added that he hopes to complete the above merger process, including the appointment of a number of senior military figures, before March 1, when the transitional government’s time in power is expected to end. , according to Reuters.
