Rapid withdrawal of Kurdish-led forces reshapes Syria’s Syria

President Ahmed Sala has made significant progress in unifying deeply divided Syria, regaining swaths of territory in the northeast that had been under the control of a coalition of Kurdish-led militias for more than a decade. What happens next will be a test for a government trying to assert its authority across the country.

The gains by government forces in a lightning offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) mark the biggest change in control of Syria since Islamist-led rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending a 13-year civil war. Before this month’s push, nearly a third of Syria was controlled by the Kurds, who have received U.S. support after helping a U.S.-led coalition defeat the jihadist group Islamic State over the past decade. There, they govern an enclave with its own government and institutions, with the SDF as its military wing.

The offensive comes as talks between Sala’s government and the SDF have stalled over the key issue of integrating their forces into the country’s institutions. An agreement was signed last March but little progress was made after the deadline expired at the end of the year as the SDF remained unwilling to give up its autonomy. Analysts say the militia alliance miscalculated in its negotiations with the government and appeared to believe it would have the support of long-term allies.

But the United States under President Donald Trump has strongly backed Sala, who has defended his vision of a unified Syria under Damascus control. Trump hosted Salad, who the United States has labeled a terrorist for his links to al-Qaeda, at the White House last year and lifted devastating sanctions on Syria that were imposed during Assad’s time in power. When Sala’s forces began their offensive, the United States showed no apparent opposition.

Sunday, after the shocking ordeal. territorial loss, SDF reaches 14-point agreement That overturned nearly all the concessions it had secured from the government in earlier negotiations. Crucially, its members are expected to join the Syrian army and interior ministry as individuals, rather than as separate units as it has requested, while control of oil and gas fields crucial to Syria’s economic recovery is handed over to the government. SDF-run prisons and camps housing thousands of Islamic State detainees and their families have also been placed under Damascus’ control.

Days earlier, Shara issued a decree seen as an attempt to lend a hand to the Kurds, whose rights have been stripped away during Assad’s five years of rule: It designates Kurdish as the national language, gives stateless Kurds Syrian citizenship and declares Nowruz (the Persian New Year) as a national holiday.

However, fighting broke out again. So far, the areas recaptured by government forces are mainly Arab areas, where locals resent the SDF. But troops continue to move into Kurdish-majority areas, raising the possibility of deadly clashes. reportedly angered Washington. On Tuesday, Sala’s government abruptly announced a ceasefire, giving the SDF four days to come up with a detailed plan to incorporate areas under its control into the state. This temporarily halted the movement of his troops and prevented an escalation of violence.

Since taking power after the fall of Assad’s regime, Shala has repeatedly vowed to protect Syria’s minorities. But the country has already seen deadly sectarian violence. Government troops were accused of atrocities last year after they were sent to the Mediterranean coast, the heartland of Assad’s Alawite sect and the mainly Druze southern province of Suweida. Despite the new reassurance provided by the salad, the Kurds fear the same thing could happen to them.

For the Kurds, these losses are a fatal blow to their desire to maintain their autonomy, and the U.S. position is seen as a betrayal. U.S. special envoy Tom Barak said that the “original intention” of establishing a partnership with the SDF, the main anti-Islamic State force in Syria, has “basically failed” and that the “biggest opportunity for the Syrian Kurds” lies in the transition under Sala’s leadership. Western countries believe that the Sala’s government is the best chance to ensure stability in Syria.

The dramatic changes empower Salad but may again require him to delegate authority, with critics saying key positions are limited to his allies. It could also be an indication of what he might plan to do in other parts of the country, including those controlled by the Druze who demand autonomy.