SDF commander vows to speed up integration of Kurdish forces into Syrian state

Alsharq Tribune-Ahmed Essam 

Mazloum Abdi, the commander-in-chief of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said Tuesday his forces are committed to "advancing the integration process" into the Syrian state, following high-level talks between Syrian and U.S. officials in Washington.

In a post on X, Abdi said he held a phone call with U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye and Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack to discuss the outcomes of the recent meeting between Syrian interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa and U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.

"We are diligently working with our partners in close coordination to advance progress toward a more prosperous and secure future for our people in a unified Syria," he added.

The remarks mark one of Abdi's clearest statements in support of the Syrian authorities' efforts to consolidate national forces under a unified command structure, following years of tension between the Kurdish-led SDF and central authorities in Damascus.

The SDF, which controls much of northeastern Syria, were Washington's main local ally in Syria during the Syrian civil war.

A day earlier, the Syrian foreign affairs authorities said talks in Washington touched upon moving forward with the implementation of the March 10 agreement, which includes integrating the SDF into the Syrian army as part of a broader process of institutional unification and national security consolidation.