Syrian, Kurdish and US officials have accelerated talks in recent days ahead of a year-end deadline to show progress on a stalled deal to merge the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces into Syria’s new state institutions, several people involved in or familiar with the discussions told Reuters, after Turkey said its patience was “running out” this week.
According to the exclusive Reuters report, the interim Syrian government has sent a proposal to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which controls much of Syria’s northeast.
Damascus is open to the force reorganizing its roughly 50,000 fighters into three main divisions and smaller brigades as long as it cedes some chains of command and opens its territory to other Syrian army units, according to one Syrian, one Western and three Kurdish officials cited by Reuters.
It was unclear whether the idea would move forward, and several sources downplayed prospects of a comprehensive last-minute deal, saying more talks are needed. Still, one SDF official told Reuters, “We are closer to a deal than ever before.”
A second Western official said any announcement in the coming days would be meant in part to “save face,” extend the deadline and maintain stability in a country that remains fragile a year after the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad.
Reuters cited most sources as expecting any outcome to fall short of the full integration into the military and other state institutions by year-end that was called for in a March 10 agreement between the sides.
Failure to resolve the dispute risks an armed clash that could derail Syria’s efforts to emerge from 14 years of war and could draw in neighboring Turkey, which has threatened an incursion against Kurdish fighters it views as terrorists.
Both sides have accused the other of stalling and acting in bad faith. The SDF is reluctant to give up the autonomy it won as a main US ally during the war, and it has controlled Islamic State prisons and oil resources.
The US, which backs Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and has urged global support for his interim government, has relayed messages between Damascus and the SDF and facilitated talks.
A US State Department spokesperson said Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, continued to support and facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the SDF.
A Syrian official said the year-end deadline is firm and only “irreversible steps” by the SDF could bring an extension.
Turkey’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, said on Thursday Turkey does not want to resort to military means but warned that patience with the Syrian Democratic Forces is “running out.”
Kurdish officials have downplayed the deadline. “The most reliable guarantee for the agreement’s continued validity lies in its content, not timeframe,” Reuters quoted Sihanouk Dibo, a Syrian autonomous administration official, as saying and adding that it could take until mid-2026 to address all points in the deal.
Abdel Karim Omar, a representative of the Kurdish-led northeastern administration in Damascus, said the proposal included “logistical and administrative details that could cause disagreement and lead to delays,” according to Reuters.
A senior Syrian official told Reuters the response “has flexibility to facilitate reaching an agreement that implements the March accord.”