Syria's Al Shara meets Kurdish leader Abdi as regional dynamics strengthen Damascus

Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara met with Mazloum Abdi, the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Damascus on Tuesday. The two discussed integrating the SDF, a primarily Kurdish group, into the state forces, a step that could help Damascus gain control over the eastern region of the country. The meeting comes amid Syria's strategic importance as a potential land alternative to the Strait of Hormuz, a focal point of tensions between Iran and the US.

The SDF, supported by the US during the Syrian civil war, was integral to the American-led fight against ISIS. However, American support for the group has waned as the US normalized relations with Damascus. The January deal brokered by the US halted fighting between the SDF and the government, but the SDF retained control over Kurdish-populated areas near Turkey and Iraq.

The deal aims to dissolve the SDF, a move that would dissolve a group the US spent $1 billion to build up. According to a Syrian-Kurdish source close to the SDF, Abdi understands that the dissolution is inevitable, but only if SDF commanders are included in the new military structure, and Kurdish police have a significant presence.

Ties between the government and minority groups, particularly Alawites and Druze, have been strained since the civil war, with violence often erupting. A key figure in the January deal was Nechirvan Barzani, the President of the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq. Barzani had a high-level meeting with Al Shara in Damascus, marking the first such visit by an Iraqi Kurdish official since the Assad regime's downfall in December 2024.

Both leaders discussed Syria's role in regional peace, security, and stability, with Barzani emphasizing the importance of resolving the Kurdish issue.