Kurdish Forces Lost Raqqa, Accepted Syrian Government’s Integration Plan (Videos)

Click to see full-size image. (Syrian Interior Ministry)

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on January 18 signed off on an agreement including a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and steps to completely integrate the Kurdish-led group into the institutions of the Syrian Transitional Government (STG).

The agreement came after the SDF lost the strategic city of Tabqa in the governorate of Raqqa to STG forces and all of the territories it was holding in the governorate of Deir Ezzor to an uprising by Arab tribes overnight.

Even as the agreement was being announced, the group lost control over the city of Raqqa to tribal fighters. STG forces moved in quickly.

Under the agreement, the STG will assume full administrative and military control over Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, including all civil institutions and public facilities. Existing employees will be retained, and Damascus pledged not to pursue SDF fighters or civil administration personnel.

Civil institutions in the Kurdish-majority governorate of al-Hasakah will also be integrated into government structures, according to the agreement, which does not appear to include acknowledgment of the SDFs’ self-administration.

Click to see full-size image. (Syrian Presidency)

The agreement also states that Sharaa will appoint a governor for al-Hasakah, and heavy military presence will be removed from the town of Kobani in the governorate of Aleppo, where the majority of the population is also Kurds.

Damascus will also take control of all border crossings and oil and gas fields in the north and east of Syria, with its forces responsible for securing the facilities.

SDF personnel will be individually incorporated into Damascus’ military and security forces after security vetting, receiving official ranks, salaries, and benefits. The agreement also promised to safeguard the administrative and social autonomy of Kurdish-majority areas.

Prisons and camps holding ISIS detainees and their families, along with the forces guarding them, will be merged into government institutions.

Senior military, security, and civilian officials may be appointed from lists submitted by SDF leadership to ensure “national partnership” in central state institutions, the agreement states.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

Speaking to journalists in Damascus after signing the agreement, Sharaa urged Arab tribes in northern and eastern Syria to de-escalate.

“We advise our Arab tribes to remain calm and allow for the implementation of the agreement’s terms,” al-Sharaa said.

Before making the announcement, he met United States Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack in Damascus. SDF chief Mazloum Abdi was supposed to be at the meeting, but al-Sharaa said that weather conditions meant that his trip would be postponed until January 19.

Sephardic clashes continued after the announcement, from Aleppo, to Raqqa, Deir Ezzor, and even in al-Hasakah where tribal fighters continued to expand their control. Footage posted online indicates that many facilities where the SDF kept ISIS detainees and their families were broken into, with hundreds of them being freed.

A photo of the agreement’s document signed by both Sharaa and Abdi was shared by Syrian state media. However, the SDF is still silent on the agreement.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

The terms of the agreement are all in favor of the STG, and if implemented they will bring about the end of the SDF and its self administration in northern and eastern Syria. Due to this, it is natural to expect some parties within the group to reject the agreement.

It may be too early to declare the battle between the STG and the SDF over. The agreement could collapse very quickly.

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