Syrian Defense Minister Rejects Proposal by US-Backed Forces

Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said on January 19 that he rejected a proposal by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

The SDF, which has carved out a semi-autonomous region in northeastern Syria during 14 years of civil war, has been negotiating with the new government in the capital Damascus, established by former opposition forces after the overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024, according to Reuters.

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said in an interview with Saudi Arabia's Asharq News channel last week that the SDF is ready to merge with the new Defense Ministry but as "a military bloc" and not disband.

Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra during an interview in the Syrian capital Damascus on January 19.

However, in an interview with Reuters today, January 19, Minister Abu Qasra said he rejected the SDF's proposal, according to Reuters. "We said that they will join the Ministry of Defense in the Ministry of Defense's hierarchy and be allocated in a military way... But for them to remain a military bloc within the Ministry of Defense, such a bloc within a large organization is not appropriate," Mr. Abu Qasra, who was appointed as defense minister on December 21, 2024, emphasized.

One of Abu Qasra’s priorities since taking office has been to bring the various anti-Assad factions under a unified command structure. But doing so with the SDF has been challenging. The US sees the SDF as a key ally against the Islamic State, but neighboring Turkey views the SDF as a national security threat.

The Syrian Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) make up the bulk of the SDF. Ankara views the YPG as an extension of its domestic enemy, the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency against the Turkish state.

Minister Abu Qasra said he had met with SDF leaders but accused them of "delaying" talks on integration into the Syrian Defence Ministry like other militia factions, stressing that integration was "the right of the Syrian state".

Mr Abu Qasra was appointed to the transitional government about two weeks after the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group led the offensive to overthrow Mr Assad.

Mr. Abu Qasra added that he hoped to complete the above-mentioned merger process, including appointing a number of senior military figures, before March 1, when the transitional government's term in power is expected to end, according to Reuters.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/bo-truong-quoc-phong-syria-bac-bo-de-xuat-cua-luc-luong-duoc-my-hau-thuan-185250119201514245.htm