DAMASCUS, — Syria’s newly appointed Islamist defense minister said Sunday that U.S.-backed Kurdish forcers in the country’s northeast should not be allowed to maintain an independent military bloc within the framework of the Syrian armed forces.
Murhaf Abu Qasra, also known as Abu Hassan al-Hamawi, speaking to Reuters at the Defense Ministry in Damascus, stated that the leadership of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had delayed progress on resolving the issue.
The SDF serves as de facto army of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) and has held a semi-autonomous region throughout 14 years of civil war.
Abu Qasra emphasized that while the SDF could be integrated into Syria’s Defense Ministry, maintaining their forces as a separate bloc would not be acceptable.
“They would be incorporated into the Defense Ministry under its chain of command and assigned military roles accordingly. We have no issue with that,” he said. “However, letting them remain a separate military bloc within a larger institution is not appropriate.”
The SDF, led by General Mazloum Abdi, has expressed willingness to work with Damascus but has insisted on retaining their autonomy within the armed forces. Abdi, in a recent interview with Saudi Arabia’s Asharq News, reiterated the group’s demand for a decentralized administration, calling for integration while preserving the SDF as an independent military unit.
Abu Qasra, who was appointed on Dec. 21 following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8, 2024, by Syria’s new Islamist leadership, rejected this proposal.
He has prioritized unifying Syria’s various anti-Assad factions into a single command structure, though integrating the SDF has been a contentious process.
The SDF remains a key U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State militants, but Turkey views the group as a national security threat as Ankara fears that the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region or state in Syrian Kurdistan could inspire separatism among its own Kurdish citizens.
Abu Qasra confirmed holding meetings with SDF leaders but accused them of “dragging their feet” in the negotiations. He insisted that their integration into the Defense Ministry was “a right of the Syrian state.”
Abu Qasra is part of the transitional government established after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the Islamist group to which he belongs, led the offensive that toppled Assad.
The defense minister aims to finalize the integration of military factions, including key appointments, by March 1, the end of the transitional government’s tenure.
Addressing criticism of the transitional government’s authority to implement sweeping military reforms, Abu Qasra cited pressing “security issues” as the driving force. “Time is of the essence, and each day counts,” he said.
Controversy has also arisen over the new administration’s decision to grant military ranks to foreign fighters, including Egyptians and Jordanians. Abu Qasra acknowledged the backlash but said no extradition requests for foreign fighters had been made.
(With files from Reuters)
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