Syrian government security personnel entered the northeastern city of Hasakeh under an integration deal with Kurdish forces, extending Damascus’ authority into a longtime Kurdish stronghold after months of tension and sporadic clashes, according to an AFP team on the ground.
The phased agreement, struck Friday after Kurdish forces ceded territory to advancing government units in recent weeks, calls for gradually folding Kurdish military and civilian institutions into state structures. The move marks a significant rollback of the de facto autonomy the Kurds carved out across parts of the north and northeast while fighting the Islamic State group during Syria’s civil war.
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As government personnel arrived, some residents gathered roadside to wave Syrian flags, and women ululated in greeting. AFP correspondents reported Kurdish security forces remained deployed inside the mixed Kurdish-Arab city, which was under a curfew as the new units took up positions.
Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the deal would begin taking effect Monday with mutual pullbacks from front lines in parts of the northeast and around the northern town of Kobane. He said a “limited internal security force” would enter areas of Hasakeh and Qamishli, while “no military forces will enter any Kurdish city or town.” A curfew is also slated for Qamishli as implementation proceeds.
Marwan al-Ali, recently appointed as the government’s head of internal security in Hasakeh province, urged state forces to execute their tasks “according to the established plans and fully comply with laws and regulations.”
Later Monday, state media said government security personnel had moved into the countryside around Kobane, more than 200 kilometers from Hasakeh. Syrian state television added that a United Nations aid convoy of 20 trucks reached the town, which became a symbol of Kurdish resilience after it repelled an Islamic State assault earlier in the war.
Friday’s accord seeks to “unify Syrian territory,” including Kurdish-held areas, while maintaining an existing cease-fire and implementing “gradual integration” of Kurdish security and administrative bodies, according to the text. The document also appears to incorporate some Kurdish demands, such as creating brigades composed of SDF fighters.
Turkey, a key backer of the Syrian government and a longtime adversary of Kurdish forces in Syria, reacted swiftly. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the agreement “a new chapter” for Syria and said he hoped it would be sustained through “peace, stability, development, and prosperity.” He warned that anyone attempting to “sabotage” the deal would be “crushed.”
Washington, which led the coalition that backed the Kurds’ campaign against Islamic State, has moved closer to Syria’s new Islamist authorities and recently said the primary purpose of its alliance with the Kurdish forces was largely over.
In parallel with the security deployments, Syrian Information Minister Hamza Mustafa said the integration plan includes the transfer of oil fields, Qamishli airport and border crossings to the government within 10 days — assets that would consolidate Damascus’ control over critical infrastructure and revenue streams.
As state forces redeploy across former Kurdish-held zones, only the Druze-majority province of Sweida remains effectively outside government control. The southern region was rocked by sectarian violence last year, while the coastal Alawite heartland also witnessed sectarian massacres. Syria’s Islamist authorities, who took power after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, have pledged to protect minorities.
The Hasakeh deployment underscores the urgency — and fragility — of the new arrangement. The presence of both Kurdish and government security elements in key urban centers, combined with curfews and staged pullbacks, will test whether the integration can defuse local tensions and manage rival chains of command without sparking fresh clashes.
Much now hinges on the tempo of the promised handovers, the composition and conduct of newly formed units, and whether outside actors abide by the spirit of the deal. For residents of Hasakeh, Qamishli and Kobane, the coming days will reveal whether a negotiated consolidation brings stability — or simply rearranges the fault lines.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
