Syria has appointed a military officer as a presidential envoy to implement the January 29 agreement with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and to oversee the integration process.
The appointment of Brig Gen Ziad Al Ayesh is a step that will “ensure the boosting of the state’s presence, the removal of obstacles, and the activation of government services for citizens”, the presidency said.
Syria’s new leadership has repeatedly said it is determined to reintegrate territory held by the SDF into the state.
A decade of SDF rule over Syria’s most resource-rich areas in the Euphrates River basin ended as pro-government forces advanced last month into eastern Syria without meeting any significant resistance. The fighting had caused fears of another full-blown war.
On January 29, Syria's government reached an agreement with the Kurdish-led militia, aimed at gradually integrating the group into the central army as part of a transition following the ousting of the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024.
The integration will involve the formation of a military division made up of three SDF brigades, as well as the incorporation of a brigade in Kobani – also known as Ain Al Arab − into a division affiliated with Aleppo Governorate.
The SDF has been the most powerful rival of the central government that replaced the Assad regime when Ahmad Al Shara led rebels into Damascus in December 2024.
The SDF were once Washington's main Syrian ally, playing a vital part in the fight against Islamic State militants.
But its position took a major hit as US President Donald Trump cultivated relations with Mr Al Shara, a former Al Qaeda commander who has now brought almost all of Syria back under the authority of Damascus.
