Damascus, YPG-led SDF advance integration talks

DAMASCUS

Syrian government officials and YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has continued crucial talks on the implementation of a series of key agreements after a deal was reached on the strategic Tishrin Dam.

The sides discussed a March agreement aimed at initiating a phased integration of YPG into the national Syrian governance structure.

On April 12, Damascus’ security forces were deployed around the Tishrin Dam —a vital hydro-infrastructure site located near Manbij in Aleppo province — as part of a preliminary accord with YPG.

PKK is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S. and the EU, while YPG is its Syrian offshoot.

Under the terms of this arrangement, YPG-led SDF units —who had seized control of the dam from the ISIL terrorist organization in late 2015 — are to conduct a strategic withdrawal.

The Tishrin Dam, one of several critical installations on the Euphrates and its tributaries, is central to Syria’s agricultural and energy resilience, providing essential irrigation and hydroelectric capacity. It has also borne witness to successive phases of conflict, having changed hands multiple times since the eruption of the civil war in 2011.

Meanwhile, the head of the YPG terrorist organization, Mazloum Abdi, met with a delegation from Damascus to deliberate the operationalization of the integration framework.

Speaking to Al-Monitor, Abdi underscored that discussions with Damascus remain ongoing, particularly around the formulation of “a decentralized governance model.” He added that efforts are underway to convene a national congress that would bring together Kurdish political factions to forge a unified political stance and designate a representative negotiating body for future dialogue with the Syrian state.

Reuters reported last week that the YPG is expected to formally propose a model of limited autonomy within the Syrian state framework.