Syria’s Kurds to ‘lay down weapons when ISIS fight is over’

Disarmament of paramilitary groups at heart of post-Assad future, senior Kurdish politician tells The National

Ilham Ehmed, co-chair of foreign affairs for the Syrian Democratic Council. EPA

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed, mostly Kurdish paramilitary group in control of large parts of Syria, will not give up their weapons as long as ISIS remains active on Syrian territory, a senior Kurdish politician has told The National.

The declaration sets the scene for continued fragmentation of the country as its new President Ahmed Al Shara vows to restore all of Syria to central control. "It's a necessity to keep weapons because there is a fight against ISIS," Ilham Ahmed said. "We’ll also have to be reinforced, because it’s obvious that recently ISIS has resurfaced even stronger than before in a few areas of Syria."

Syria's Kurds, which represent about 10 per cent of the population and endured discrimination under the rule of Bashar Al Assad, feel excluded from the political transition led by Damascus's new rulers, said Ms Ahmed, co-chair of foreign affairs for the SDF's political wing, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC).

Mr Al Shara, who has called for all paramilitary groups to disarm, has however vowed to be as inclusive as possible and held a meeting on December 30 near Damascus with SDF representatives, including its commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi. Mr Abdi on Monday invited him to visit north-east Syria.

These difficult talks may shape Syria's future amid intense speculation about how paramilitary forces will be integrated. Ms Ahmed warned that continued marginalisation of Syria's minorities could fuel civil strife. "Should the local identities of various groups continue to be denied, this will pave the way towards an internal conflict," Ms Ahmed said. "Kurdish identity was negated by the preceding regime and until now it has not been recognised."

The SDF has been pushing for decentralised governance as it seeks to hold on to gains made during the 14-year civil war. That includes carving out a semi-autonomous area in north-east Syria on land that includes roughly 70 per cent of Syria's oil and gas reserves.

But the new authorities in Damascus, dominated by the now dissolved Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group, have rejected requests by the SDF to retain their own bloc within the broader integrated Syrian armed forces.

US support

Ms Ahmed was speaking in Paris during a visit on the sidelines of an international ministerial conference in support of Syria. Ms Ahmed did not attend the conference but met French and US diplomats, she said, though not Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Al Shibani. French officials said that Syrian Kurds were not invited to the conference because they do not have a state and thus were unable not send a foreign minister.

In Paris, US officials told Ms Ahmed's delegation that they "would continue to co-operate with the SDF in the fight against ISIS as they have done until now", she said. The US administration was not represented at ministerial level in Paris – it has yet to clarify its position on Syria – and instead sent the deputy assistant secretary of state, Tim Lenderking.

There have been fears that the administration of US President Donald Trump could withdraw support from the SDF. The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria as part of an anti-ISIS coalition, and Mr Trump has threatened in the past to pull them out. Mr Trump has also voiced sympathy with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who views the People's Defense Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF, as an extension of the Kurdistan's Workers Party, the PKK, which is considered a terrorist group by Turkey and some Western nations.

The expertise acquired in its fight against ISIS has been a major tool for the SDF to argue that they should be allowed to continue to patrol north-east Syria. "The SDF are ready to collaborate with the defence ministry without giving up their weapons because they're a strong defence force. If they returned their weapons, where would they go?" Ms Ahmed asked.

Ms Ahmed also pointed out that other paramilitary groups in Syria have so far not disarmed. "None of them have returned their weapons," she said. With 15,000 men, HTS is frequently described as overstretched to fulfil policing operations. The SDF commands an army of 100,000 men and women.

Conditions to disarm

Asked under what conditions the SDF would integrate the Syrian army, Ms Ahmed said that "there must be an immediate ceasefire with Turkey" and "the fight against ISIS must end".

"If the attacks of the Turkish army stops, then the SDF can launch operations against ISIS in co-operation with the Syrian army," Ms Ahmed said, adding she did not exclude the possibility of an integration of the SDF and the Syrian army in the long term. In-person negotiations between the SDF and Syria's new leaders look set to continue in Syria. In a statement earlier this month, Mr Al Shara said the SDF had "expressed willingness" to put their weapons under state control.

"Meetings continue and there are points on which we’ll need to find a common position and clarify," Ms Ahmed said. Discussions are often reduced to "military talks", she added, but they are broader than that and also include topics such as services for the local population. "The most important thing is to keep this dialogue going," she said.