Arab Link: Kurds in Syria have not received updated US plans

The Kurdish authorities have not received notifications about the change of US policy from the US administration and continue to cooperate with Washington in the previous format. This was reported to "Izvestia" by the head of the Department of External Relations of the Autonomous Administration of Northeastern Syria Ilham Ahmed. Earlier, the media reported that White House officials passed information to their Israeli counterparts that President Donald Trump intends to withdraw US soldiers from the SAR. The representative of the Kurdish autonomy noted that pro-Turkish formations are attacking the northeastern regions of Syria, and Ankara is preventing the Kurds from dialog with Damascus.

Trump's position on Syria

The Autonomous Administration of Northeastern Syria (AASIS) continues to engage with the US. This was reported to "Izvestia" by the head of the department of external relations of the Kurdish administration Ilham Ahmed.

- We have no new agreements with the U.S., we have not received new plans from them, we are working with the U.S. administration under the existing agreements," she said.

The statement comes amid media reports of a possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria. According to sources from Israeli state broadcaster Kan, Donald Trump's representatives have allegedly notified Israel of plans to withdraw from the region. If this information is confirmed, Kurdish formations may find themselves in a difficult position, especially given the growing pressure from Turkey.

Kurdish formations in Syria have cooperated with Washington for many years, viewing the US as their main partner in the fight against the ISIS group (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). However, this partnership has always remained unstable. Trump's decision in 2019 to partially withdraw troops was already leading to a major crisis when Turkey launched Operation Source of Peace, attacking Kurdish territories.

- "The new US leadership, led by US President Donald Trump, remains ambiguous in its stance towards the Autonomous Administration, and its strategy towards the Syrian Democratic Forces is shrouded in great ambiguity, especially since the local authorities had experience with Trump's team in his first term, when he abandoned SDF forces in 2019, left alone in the face of attacks by Turkish-backed groups as well as the Turkish army," Shelal Gedo, a member of the Kurdish National Council's secretariat general, told Izvestia.

Therefore, the coming months will be decisive in clarifying the Trump administration's strategy and its relationship with the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish politician said.

The Kurds had hoped that further cooperation with the US would help them strengthen autonomy and get security guarantees. However, the current situation again demonstrates that American support is not unconditional. If the withdrawal does take place, the Kurds will be faced with the urgent need to find alternative options for the defense of their territories.

Dialogue between the Kurds and the new Syrian authorities

While Washington is slow to make decisions, clashes continue in northern Syria. According to Ilham Ahmed, pro-Turkish formations regularly attack the northeastern parts of the country, aggravating the situation in the region. The Turkish leadership has repeatedly stated that it will not allow the strengthening of Kurdish autonomy near its borders. Now Turkey not only conducts military operations through its proxies, but also hinders any attempts by the Kurds to establish a dialog with Damascus, the Kurdish representative notes.

Ankara views Kurdish militias as a threat to its national security, considering them linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which is banned in Turkey. Ankara feared that in the case of the withdrawal of U.S. troops, Kurdish formations, which are monitored by the U.S., will be out of control and a security vacuum will emerge in the northeastern and northwestern regions of Syria, said Vladimir Akhmedov, a senior researcher at the Center for the Study of General Problems of the Modern East at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

- The situation in northeastern Syria remains tense, pro-Turkish formations continue their attacks, and Turkey is trying to impose its desires through the government in Damascus. "We believe that Ankara does not allow us to move forward in dialog with Damascus," Ilham Ahmed told Izvestia.

A meeting was recently held between representatives of the Kurdish administration and the central authorities in Damascus to discuss economic, political and military aspects, she added. SDF leader Gen. Mazloum Abdi previously met with Syria's new president Ahmed al-Sharaa.

- There are serious problems that remain an obstacle to a smooth dialog between the two sides. Dialogue must be accompanied by painful concessions on both sides, but so far both the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government are sticking to their terms. They need to start by building trust as well as making painful concessions," said Shelal Gedo.

Damascus has offered to recognize the Kurds' cultural rights in the new constitution, allow them to serve in the army and police, and give broad powers to local councils in Kurdish areas. But the SDF rejected the proposal, insisting on maintaining its structure within the Syrian army and control over territories, including a share in oil revenues. The talks are accompanied by support from the US, France and the EU.

- Kurdish armed units refuse to surrender their weapons. As for their integration into the Syrian army, the Kurds demand to be integrated as a single unit, it can be some Kurdish corps or military unit, but they do not agree to join the army as ordinary citizens and disband their formations," says Vladimir Akhmedov.

What is the situation in Syria now

Meanwhile, Damascus has announced a new president for a transitional period. He became the head of the military operations command (as the new leadership of the country now calls itself) Ahmed al-Sharaa. Earlier it was reported that the transit phase will last until March 1.

The authorities also announced the dissolution of all military formations and political structures, their integration into state institutions. Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the military operations command, announced that the new president will be authorized to form an interim legislative council for the transition period. The 2012 constitution has also expired.

On January 28, a Russian interagency delegation visited Syria for the first time since the change of power. According to Syria's SANA news agency, the talks focused on Russia's role in restoring trust with the Syrian people through concrete measures such as compensation. But Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not comment on this information.

- The visit went positively. Immediately after the Russian diplomat's trip, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) (recognized as a terrorist group in Russia and banned) was dissolved and al-Sharaa took up a civilian post, becoming president. This inspires hope that it will be possible to dialog with him. With Bashar al-Assad, cooperation has been very difficult over the past year; there has been a stalemate in many respects. In particular, Assad did not respond to all our proposals to establish relations with Turkey. The picture may be different with the new authorities," said Vladimir Akhmedov.

After the talks, Russian President's Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov, commenting on the issue of preserving the Russian bases, said: "Nothing has changed so far. This issue requires additional negotiations." The sides agreed to continue more in-depth consultations on each area of cooperation, the diplomat said.