Syria's Sharaa to meet SDF commander Abdi in Damascus on integration deal

DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa will meet Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazlum Abdi in Damascus on Wednesday, according to a Syrian government source. The talks are set to take place at the Republican Palace and are expected to include Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and Ilham Ahmad, the Autonomous Administration's foreign relations official. The meeting will focus on progress in integrating SDF units and personnel into Syrian state institutions under an agreement signed on January 29 between the Syrian government and the SDF, a source said. The deal calls for a ceasefire, the gradual integration of military and administrative forces into Syrian state structures, and the withdrawal from flashpoints, with Interior Ministry security forces to deploy in Hasakah and Qamishli. Under the agreement, an army brigade composed of three SDF brigades is also to be established. Other provisions cover merging autonomous administration institutions with Syrian state bodies, regulating the civil and educational rights of the Kurdish community, and securing the return of displaced residents to their areas. An SDF-linked source said Abdi is expected to ask Sharaa to increase the number of brigades and personnel integrated into the Defense Ministry in Kobani and Hasakah. No further details on the agenda were immediately available.