ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and Syria’s recently appointed presidential envoy Ziad al-Ayesh met in Hasaka province on Monday to discuss the integration of the SDF into the Syrian army.
“The meeting took place in a positive atmosphere and addressed joint service and security files, with a particular focus on establishing clear and practical mechanisms to enable the integration process in Hasaka province. The participants also stressed the need to enhance stability and unify efforts to ensure improvements in the security and service situation in the area,” the SDF said in a statement.
Hasaka Governor Nour al-Din Issa, who was recently appointed by the SDF and approved by Damascus under the latest agreement between the two sides, also attended the meeting.
The comprehensive January 29 agreement between the SDF and Damascus was signed following weeks of clashes between the two sides. The SDF lost around 80 percent of the territory it controlled during the conflict.
Under the deal, the civilian, security, and military structures of the Kurdish region in northeast Syria (Rojava) will be integrated into the central government in Damascus. So far, the process has proceeded smoothly, though many provisions of the agreement have yet to be implemented.
The governor's office said the participants “addressed the mechanism for integrating military and security institutions and discussed the executive steps related to that process.”
It added that three military brigades to be established for the SDF, as stipulated in the latest agreement, will be incorporated into the army’s 60th Division, led by Awad al-Jassem.
The two sides are also working on the release of 60 prisoners, the governor’s office said, without specifying who is holding them.
The statement further noted that most of the roads connecting Rojava to the rest of Syria will be reopened, without providing a timeline.