SDF's anti-Daesh role in Syria expired; Damascus now in charge: US
The Syrian presidency says that a "mutual understanding" has been reached with the SDF regarding the future of the eastern Hasakah province.
US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack has said that the purpose of the SDF as the “primary anti-Daesh force on the ground” has expired, adding that Syria is now prepared to take over security responsibilities as the country moves into a new phase.
“The Syrian government is now willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of Daesh detention facilities and displacement camps,” the US envoy said on Tuesday.
Tom Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Türkiye, said Washington’s priorities in Syria now centre on “supporting reconciliation, advancing national unity and stability”, while making clear that the United States does not support separatism.
“Washington’s priorities include supporting reconciliation and advancing national unity without endorsing separatism or federalism,” Barrack said.
The US envoy also said that the greatest opportunity for Kurds in Syria lies in the post-Assad transition under the country’s new government.
According to Barrack, the present moment offers a “pathway to full integration” for Kurds within a unified Syrian state, including citizenship rights, cultural protections and political participation.
“The Syria-SDF agreement provides Kurds a governance role far beyond the semi-autonomy the SDF held amid civil war chaos.”
Mutual understanding in Hasakah
Meanwhile, the Syrian presidency said that a “mutual understanding” has been reached with the SDF regarding the future of the eastern Hasakah province as of 1700 GMT.
Under the deal, the SDF/YPG was given “four days for consultations” to prepare “a detailed plan for practical integration of the areas”, the presidency said in a statement.
YPG is the Syrian branch of the terror group PKK.
In the event of an agreement, “Syrian forces will not enter the city centres of Hasakah and Qamishli and will remain on their outskirts,” it added.
Later, Syria’s defence ministry also announced a four-day ceasefire starting at 1700 GMT, under an agreement with the YPG-led SDF in the Hasakah province.
Al-Hol camp
Earlier, Syria’s interior ministry accused the SDF/YPG terrorist group of releasing Daesh detainees and their families from prisons and withdrawing from guarding Al-Hol camp in eastern Hasakah without coordination with the government or the US-led international coalition.
In a statement, the ministry said that after the recent ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF, the group “released several prisoners from the Daesh terror organisation and their families from detention facilities.”
Al-Hol camp, located in northeastern Syria, houses tens of thousands of people, including families of suspected Daesh members, as well as displaced Syrians and foreign nationals.
The ministry said it is closely monitoring developments and “taking all necessary measures, in coordination and cooperation with the international coalition, to maintain security and stability and prevent any attempts that threaten public safety.”