SDF, Damascus agree on new security coordination, Abdi says

Shafaq News – Damascus

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) troops will not withdraw from Raqqa or Deir Ezzor, Commander Mazloum Abdi said on Saturday, confirming new security and military understandings with Damascus.

Speaking to Ronahi TV, Abdi said recent talks with Syrian transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa focused on a “Syrian–Syrian solution,” including plans to integrate SDF internal security forces into the Interior Ministry and establish a joint military committee in Damascus.

He revealed that Washington had also proposed forming a joint SDF–Syrian force to combat ISIS — a plan both sides accepted. “The goal is to make the war against ISIS a national effort,” Abdi said.

Read more: ISIS regroups in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon: a new strategy?

“Both sides agreed to maintain a nationwide ceasefire and continue dialogue on decentralized governance, though differences remain over its interpretation,” he added.

Abdi’s remarks followed meetings in Hasakah with US Envoys Nicholas Granger and Ethan Goldrich, who reaffirmed continued coordination with the group.

The discussions build on the March 10 Agreement, which envisions integrating SDF-held territories into Syrian state institutions while preserving limited autonomy. For Damascus, the process consolidates central authority; for the SDF, it secures recognition and stability, according to officials from both sides.

Turkiye opposes the arrangement, labeling the SDF — which controls about a quarter of Syria, including most of its oil-rich northeast — an “offshoot” of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a party Ankara designates as a terrorist group.

Read more: Turkiye’s cautious gamble: PKK disarmament and the regional chessboard