ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A leading figure from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been appointed deputy to the Syrian defense minister, Damascus-run media reported Tuesday, weeks after the SDF and the interim Syrian government reached a ceasefire on January 29, ending weeks of deadly clashes.
The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) cited Asim Ghalioun, head of the Defense Ministry’s Media and Communication Directorate, announcing that Sipan Hemo, a key member of the SDF General Command, “has been appointed deputy defense minister for the eastern region in the Syrian Arab Republic.”
The eastern region, commonly referred to as Jazira, covers areas east of the Euphrates River, including parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and predominantly Kurdish Hasaka provinces.
In late January, the Kurdish-led SDF said it had reached a “comprehensive agreement” with the transitional government in Damascus that allowed government forces to enter the Kurdish cities of Hasaka and Qamishli in northeast Syria (Rojava), and stipulated the creation of three army brigades from SDF forces to integrate them under the Syrian state.
“A ceasefire agreement was reached between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces under a comprehensive framework, with an understanding on the phased integration of military and administrative forces between the two sides,” the SDF stated.