Syria has declared a full ceasefire agreement with Kurdish forces following a meeting between Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi after recent clashes in Aleppo. The Syrian government, in power since Bashar al-Assad’s removal last year, has dismissed Kurdish calls for a decentralized government that would grant them more autonomy. This has escalated tensions with the Kurdish administration in control of parts of the north and northeast, causing delays in implementing a March 10 agreement to incorporate Kurdish civil and military entities into the state.
Syrian Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra announced the ceasefire agreement after meeting with Abdi, the leader of the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Damascus. The agreement includes a halt to hostilities on all fronts and outlines military deployment points in northern and northeastern Syria, with immediate implementation set to begin.
According to a government source, the meeting between Sharaa and Abdi, the first since July, addressed security concerns related to the March 10 agreement. US Syria envoy Tom Barrack and Admiral Brad Cooper from the US Central Command were present at the meeting, where they had substantive discussions with Abdi during a visit to northeast Syria.
Abdi stated that talks focused on promoting political integration in Syria, safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity, and establishing a secure environment for all Syrian groups, in addition to ongoing efforts to combat ISIS militants in the region.