Syria Rejects Kurdish SDF Proposal for Separate Military Bloc
Syria’s Defense Minister asserts the need for a unified military structure as integration of armed groups becomes a priority for the new government.
Syria’s newly appointed Defense Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, has firmly rejected the idea of allowing the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to maintain a separate military bloc within Syria’s broader armed forces.
In an interview with Reuters on Sunday, Abu Qasra stated that the proposal from the SDF, which has controlled a semi-autonomous zone in northeast Syria for over 14 years, was not acceptable. The SDF, which has been in discussions with Syria’s new administration following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad, had suggested maintaining its autonomy within the military structure as a distinct “military bloc” while integrating with Syria’s Ministry of Defense.
Abu Qasra emphasized that the SDF could integrate into the Defense Ministry’s structure, with its personnel distributed throughout the ranks. However, he rejected the idea of the SDF keeping a separate bloc within the Ministry, calling it inappropriate for such a large institution.
“We have no issue with them entering the Defence Ministry within the hierarchy, but to maintain a military bloc within the Ministry is not right,” Abu Qasra explained.
One of the priorities of the new government since its formation has been the integration of the diverse factions that opposed Assad into a unified military command. This process, however, has proven especially difficult with the SDF, which is viewed as a key ally by the United States in the fight against ISIS, but as a security threat by neighboring Turkey due to its ties to the Kurdish separatist group PKK.
Abu Qasra accused the SDF of stalling negotiations regarding their integration, stating that the decision to integrate them like other rebel factions was a right of the Syrian state.
The Defense Minister, who was appointed on December 21, expressed hopes that the integration process, including the appointment of senior military officials, would be completed by March 1, the deadline for the transitional government. This deadline follows the government’s recent ousting of Assad, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group to which Abu Qasra belongs.
Abu Qasra also defended the controversial decision to grant military ranks to foreign fighters, including Egyptians and Jordanians, noting the decision had sparked significant criticism but was made due to security concerns. However, he stated he was unaware of any requests to extradite these foreign fighters.
As Syria works toward stabilizing its new government, the complex integration of various factions into a cohesive national military remains a critical challenge.