DAMASCUS — The political landscape of Syria remains in flux following a rapid offensive late last year that saw Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seize control of Damascus. Since then, the fate of Syria’s autonomous northeast has hung in the balance. Despite their geographic isolation, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—a militarily superior and better-trained faction compared to HTS—have consistently reaffirmed their commitment to a unified Syria.
In a significant step toward political integration, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi met in late March with Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the interim president based in Damascus. The two leaders signed a preliminary agreement aimed at unifying civilian and military structures under the Syrian interim government.
The meeting occurred against a backdrop of violence along the coast, where the massacre of Alawite civilians was initially misreported as a clash between pro-Assad loyalists and interim government forces. Ilham Ahmed, president of the Syrian Democratic Council, addressed the situation on social media, calling the agreement between Damascus and the SDF, “a step aimed at stopping [the violence], and stopping all military operations on Syrian soil.”
As part of the agreement, comprehensive plans for integration across civilian and military sectors are to be finalized by the end of 2025. Committees composed of officials from both the interim Syrian government—whose cabinet was formally announced in early April—and representatives of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria have been established to coordinate efforts in key areas including education, border security, oil and gas, administrative policy, and defense.
These developments have been met with cautious optimism in northeastern Syria, a region long marginalized in national-level political discussions. Tensions were heightened earlier this year when no official representatives from the northeast were invited to participate in a constitutional dialogue conference hosted by the interim government in February.
Observers say the ongoing talks mark a rare moment of cooperation and offer a potential roadmap for reintegrating fractured regions of Syria under a unified civil and military framework. Recent success in the collaboration between Syrian interim forces and the Asayish for the security of two Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo give offer a reason for optimism.