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Syrian Defense Minister Rejects U.S.-Backed SDF Proposal for Separate Military Bloc

Jan 19, 2025, 01:49 PM

Syria's new Defense Minister, Murhaf Abu Qasra, has rejected a proposal from the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), to maintain their own military bloc within the integrated Syrian armed forces. Abu Qasra emphasized that the SDF should be integrated into the Defense Ministry according to its hierarchy and distributed militarily, rather than remaining a separate entity. The minister criticized the SDF leadership for procrastinating on the issue. The SDF, which has controlled a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Syria for 14 years, has been in discussions with the new Syrian administration, formed after the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi has expressed willingness to integrate with the Syrian military but as a distinct military bloc, a condition that Abu Qasra has dismissed. The integration of various anti-Assad factions into a unified command structure is a priority for the new government, with a target completion date set for March 1, when the transitional government's term ends.