Turkey says patience is running out with Syrian Kurdish forces

ISTANBUL,— Turkey’s foreign minister urged Syria’s Kurdish forces on Thursday to implement a March agreement with the new Islamist government in Damascus, warning that Turkey’s patience is running out.

In an interview with state broadcaster TRT World, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said the Syrian Democratic Forces SDF, the de facto army of the autonomous Kurdish administration in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), have not fully carried out the deal with Syria’s new Islamist authorities.

The agreement was designed to integrate both the SDF’s civilian administration and armed units into Syria’s national security and governance structures.

Fidan said the SDF should honor the March 10 agreement without delay or reinterpretation.

He stressed that Turkey does not want to return to military action against the group but warned that continued delays are creating pressure.

“We just hope that things go through dialogue, negotiations and peacefully. We don’t want to see any need to resort to military means again. But SDF should understand the patience of Turkey is running out,” Fidan said in the interview.

The SDF has been a central force in the fight against the Islamic State group, which lost territorial control in Syria in 2019.

Backed by the United States, the SDF played a key role in defeating IS in Syria.

Turkey has supported Syria’s new Islamist leadership under President Ahmed al-Sharaa following the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

Between 2016 and 2019, Ankara launched three cross-border operations into Syrian Kurdistan targeting Syrian Kurdish forces and occupying a large areas of Rojava including Afrin.

The Autonomous Administration in Rojava, officially formed in 2018, manages the region under a system called democratic confederalism. This approach focuses on direct democracy, gender equality, secular governance, and protecting the environment. Observers have noted that it has significantly increased women’s involvement in politics and local decision-making.

In a move similar to Israel, local laws require Kurdish women to serve in the armed forces to help defend the region. Women now make up nearly half of the participants in military, political, and community institutions, reflecting the administration’s strong emphasis on gender equality.

(With files from AFP | Reuters | Agencies)