Syria President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) and Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, mark agreement in Damascus, March 10, 2025
Civilians Killed Amid Fighting Between Syria’s Security Forces and Pro-Assad Fighters
UPDATE 1026 GMT:
Israel responded to the Government-Kurds agreement by bombing positions across southern Syria and near Damascus.
The Israelis hit former army barracks and outposts in the Dara’a and Damascus Province and in al-Kiswah, around 13 km (8 miles) south of the capital.
There were no immediate reports on casualties or damage.
Israeli ground forces also reportedly deployed in the village of Maariyah on the western edge of Dara’a Province.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Syria’s government and the local Kurdish authority have agreed to integrate the northeast of the country into the post-Assad nation.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the commander of the US-supported, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, signed the agreement in Damascus on Monday.
The northeast will be under Government authority since a Kurdish adminstration gained autonomy in 2012 during the uprising against the Assad regime. The SDF will become part of the national army, and all public institutions, borders, airports, and oilfields will be controlled by Damascus.
The Government agreed to recognize Kurdish rights, banned under the Assad regime, including the Kurdish language in schools and Kurdish holidays. The document proclaimed that all Syrians can participate in the political process, regardless of religious or ethnic background.
Crowds took to the streets to celebrate throughout northeast Syria, including the region’s largest city Raqqa, and in Damascus.
A video shows massive celebrations in Raqqa city after an agreement between Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government.
People are chanting, “One one one, Syrian people are one…”
Via Mazen Hassoun.
x.com/HassounMazen…— Syria Notes (@syrianotes.bsky.social) March 10, 2025 at 8:02 PM
SDF commander Abdi posted:
In this sensitive period, we are working together to ensure a transitional phase that reflects our people’s aspirations for justice and stability. We are committed to building a better future that guarantees the rights of all Syrians and fulfills their aspirations for peace and dignity.
IF this agreement holds, and is not just a gimmick to buy time and legitimacy for the HTS -led regime, then U.S troops should be pulled out in the coming months as Trump himself has indicated: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/dod-drafting-plans-withdraw-us-troops-syria-recent-trump-comments-rcna190726