ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria’s newly appointed internal security chief in Hasaka said on Saturday that state authority will be restored over key sites in northeast Syria (Rojava), including the Semalka border crossing with the Kurdistan Region, as Damascus continues talks with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to integrate the Kurdish-led force into the defense ministry following a recent agreement.
Marwan al-Ali made the remarks after meeting Nour al-Din Issa, the newly appointed governor of Hasaka.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Ali said discussions focused on the ceasefire, security arrangements, and a visit on Friday by a Syrian interim defense ministry delegation to northeast Syria for talks with the SDF.
“We agreed on future steps. God willing, we will begin steps in taking over Qamishli Airport and Rumaylan oil field, and the withdrawal of forces to their places by both sides, to prevent tensions,” Ali said.
He added that Governor Issa has been nominated by the SDF and appointed by Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa as part of a late-January comprehensive agreement between the two sides. The deal, which was brokered by the US and other international mediators, followed weeks of armed clashes.
On Friday, a Syrian defense ministry delegation traveled to Hasaka to discuss procedures for integrating SDF members into the Syrian military. Pro-SDF Ronahi TV reported that the talks covered the integration of Kurdish fighters into the Syrian army, the location of the bases of SDF brigades, and the scope of defense ministry withdrawals, adding that negotiations were continuing on internal issues.
Addressing the Semalka border crossing - the only crossing between the Kurdistan Region and northeast Syria - Ali told Rudaw that it would return to central government control.
“It will return to state authority and will have the same status as other crossings,” he said.
The crossing has been the lifeline of Rojava since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. Hundreds of trucks of aid were sent from the Kurdistan Region to Rojava through this crossing when the SDF areas were besieged during the latest tensions.
When asked about the political sensitivity of the crossing, Ali said, “This is a political question, and our brothers in Damascus will answer it with [SDF commander] General Mazloum [Abdi].”
Ali also denied reports that the Kurdish city of Kobane is under siege.
“The issue of Kobane is linked to the issue of Hasaka and Qamishli and is one issue,” he said. “Forces have entered the Shuyukh area, and soon security forces will enter Kobane. In the same manner as Hasaka, forces will withdraw from Kobane, and the situation of the city will return to normal.”
However, residents and local officials in Kobane have warned of a growing humanitarian crisis, citing shortages of basic services amid what they describe as an ongoing siege. The United Nations has acknowledged shortages in the area and said it is working to deliver assistance.
The developments follow a mid-January offensive by the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups against SDF-held areas across Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and Hasaka provinces. The SDF had previously liberated these areas from the Islamic State (ISIS) and maintained control with backing from the US-led Global Coalition.
Ali also said displaced residents from areas including Sari Kani (Ras al-Ain) and Gire Spi (Tal Abyad) would be returned to their homes, adding that houses are being vacated to allow owners to return.
Turkey and allied Syrian factions seized the two towns from the SDF in a 2019 military operation against the SDF, displacing hundreds of thousands of residents, many of whom fled to Kurdish-held areas and the Kurdistan Region.