Syria to Deploy Security Forces in Qamishlo as SDF–Damascus Agreement Enters Implementation Phase
Airport, border crossings, and later oil fields to be handed over to the Syrian government under a phased security and military integration deal.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A comprehensive agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government is set to begin implementation on Monday, with significant security and administrative changes expected in the northeastern city of Qamishlo, Kurdistan24's envoy to Qamishlo reported.
According to Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Qamishlo, a curfew will be imposed across the city as part of the first phase of the agreement, while Syrian government security forces are scheduled to deploy to key security zones throughout the city.
The move comes as part of a broader framework aimed at integrating forces and transferring control of strategic facilities. Under the agreement, Qamishlo Airport and border crossings in the area will be handed over to the Syrian government, marking a major shift in authority and oversight in Western Kurdistan.
In the initial phase, a force of approximately 16,000 personnel is to be formed from SDF units, with a month-long process planned to integrate SDF fighters with Syrian government forces.
The integration is expected to take place under coordinated security arrangements.
Following the transfer of the airport and border crossings, the second phase of the agreement will involve the handover of oil fields to Damascus, further expanding the Syrian government’s control over key economic assets in northeastern Syria.
The agreement represents one of the most significant steps toward reconfiguring security and governance arrangements in West of Kurdistan, amid ongoing efforts to redefine relations between the SDF and Damascus.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government reached a comprehensive agreement on Friday to end hostilities and integrate military, security, and administrative structures in Western Kurdistan, including a full ceasefire, withdrawal of forces from front lines, and the entry of Syrian Interior Ministry units into Hasakah and Qamishlo.
The deal establishes a new military division composed of three SDF brigades and a special Kobani brigade under the Aleppo province, while administratively bringing Democratic Autonomous Administration institutions under Syrian state authority, ensuring the continuation of civil services, protecting Kurdish civil and educational rights, and facilitating the return of internally displaced persons.
Sources familiar with the negotiations say the agreement would not have been possible without the direct and sustained involvement of President Masoud Barzani, who played a pivotal behind-the-scenes role in facilitating dialogue between the SDF leadership and Damascus.
Barzani is said to have used his longstanding political influence and regional and international relationships to help bridge deep mistrust between the two sides, encouraging compromise aimed at preventing further escalation and ensuring stability in Kurdish-populated areas of Syria.
The agreement is widely viewed as one of the most consequential political and security arrangements in northeastern Syria in recent years, as it reshapes power-sharing dynamics and signals a potential recalibration of relations between Kurdish forces and the Syrian state.