US encouraged Syrian Kurdish-Damascus deal, sources say
13/3/2025 6:04
The United States
encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday's landmark
deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus, six sources
said, an agreement that could stave off further conflict in
northern Syria at a time of uncertainty over the future of U.S.
forces deployed there.
The deal aims to stitch back together a country fractured by
14 years of war, paving the way for Kurdish-led forces which
hold a quarter of Syria to merge with Damascus, along with
regional Kurdish governing bodies. Key details of how this will
happen have yet to be spelt out, however.
General Mazloum Abdi, head of the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF), was flown to Damascus for Monday's
signing with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa aboard a U.S.
military aircraft, three sources said.
Three other sources - U.S. officials - said the United
States had encouraged the SDF to move towards an agreement to
resolve its status in the new Syria - the focus of multi-track
talks which began after Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December
and which Reuters reported on in January.
"The U.S. played a very crucial role," a senior regional
intelligence source said.
The deal came at a moment of pressure on both sides.
Sharaa is grappling with the fallout of sectarian killings
which were reportedly carried out by militants aligned with his
government, while the SDF is locked in conflict with
Turkey-backed Syrian groups who are allied to Damascus.
Four sources, including one close to the Syrian government,
said the sectarian violence had nudged along the agreement.
The intelligence source and a Damascus-based diplomat
expected the deal to ease Turkish military pressure on the SDF,
deemed by Ankara as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers Party (PKK). Turkey has welcomed the agreement.
A Syrian government official said the presidency would work
to address pending issues between the SDF and Turkey.
DEEP TIES
Washington has developed deep ties to Syria's Kurdish groups
since deploying forces to the country to fight Islamic State a
decade ago, partnering with Kurdish fighters despite objections
from Turkey.
The U.S. troop deployment has come into renewed focus since
President Donald Trump returned to power.
Ahead of any policy decisions on Syria, the Pentagon has
started developing plans for a potential withdrawal, should one
be ordered, U.S. officials tell Reuters.
Still, a U.S. defense official told Reuters on Tuesday there
was no sign that a pullout was imminent.
The U.S. defense official said General Michael Kurilla,
commander of U.S. Central Command, had helped pushed the SDF
towards the deal but that the agreement was already moving
along.
The thinking in the U.S. administration was that the SDF
would be unlikely to hold onto its territory in the long-term if
it faced pressure from Turkey and the new Syrian government
combined, the U.S. defense official said.
"The United States is looking for ways to withdraw from
Syria without chaos and blowback. The best way of doing that is
to secure a deal among the Syrian factions," said Aron Lund of
Century International, a U.S.-based think tank.
"A negotiated handover makes sense for the United States.
It's Washington's best bet, to avoid conflict between the
Kurdish-led forces and the new government in Damascus, and to
prevent a Turkish attack across the border," he said.
DEVIL IN THE DETAIL
The U.S. military declined comment on all aspects of the
deal, including any role it may have had in encouraging talks or
whether it provided transportation to Abdi to reach Damascus.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that
Washington welcomed the agreement.
Erdem Ozan, a former Turkish diplomat and expert on Syria,
said the agreement benefited both sides. "Sharaa gains political
breathing room after recent unrest in the coastal area, and the
SDF avoids a direct clash with Turkey at a time when U.S. policy
on Syria remains uncertain," he said.
The deal did not say how the SDF will be merged with Syria's
armed forces. The SDF has previously said its forces must join
as a bloc. Damascus wants them to join as individuals.
The Syrian government official said committees would work to
address details, including the control of borders.
"While it might seem like a win-win now, the real test will
be in its execution," Ozan said.
An SDF spokesperson did not immediately respond to
questions. Abdi has called the deal a "real opportunity to build
a new Syria."
The deal was struck at a potentially historic moment for the
Kurds, following a call by the jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan
for his group to disarm. Though heavily influenced by Ocalan,
the SDF has said this does not apply to it.
Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for
Near East Policy, said Washington wants to ensure the fight
against Islamic State continues smoothly, with Damascus
eventually taking up responsibilities for countering it.
"It also helps unify the country which is in the interest of
the U.S. since it wants stability and not internal power
fights," he said.
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