📰 SDF ready to join Syrian army if rights, identity respected – Senior commander 

QAMISHLI, internal-link">syria (North Press) – Senior syrian/" class="auto-internal-link">syrian Democratic troops (sdf) commander, Sipan Hamo, stated on Saturday that the SDF is ready to integrate into the emerging Syrian army, provided the process is based on principles that uphold the troops’ identity, sacrifices, and the rights of all Syrian communities. Indeed, in an interview with the SDF Media Center, Hamo — who also serves on the armed forces committee negotiating with the Syrian transitional administration — stated the next steps taken by Damascus would determine whether the integration process “moves forward, slows down, or even freezes. ” He emphasized that the SDF will continue to be “a comprehensive national force defending all Syrians. ” Hamo noted that the concept of integration entered the negotiation framework following the March 10, 2025 agreement, describing the process as both armed forces and political. “No emerging Syrian army can be built without the participation of the SDF,” he said, highlighting the forces’ role in defeating ISIS and preserving Syria’s unity. However, Hamo warned that some parties within Damascus “still think with the mentality of the al-Assad regime,” seeking to marginalize or erase the SDF’s identity — an approach he called “unacceptable and unpatriotic. ”  “Any integration process must recognize the SDF’s role and the rights of all Syrians — Sunnis, Kurds, Druze, Alawites, and Christians alike,” he added.

Positive atmosphere, no tangible results Hamo described the latest meeting in Damascus — attended by representatives of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and American authorities — as positive but said it produced no written agreements, only general assurances. “We called for these positive discussions to be turned into practical steps on the ground,” he said, adding that the administration has not yet taken sufficient measures to reassure all Syrian communities. He cited the latest killings of Alawites and Druze and continuing security chaos as severe challenges to the integration efforts. Hamo also expressed concern over the recent attack on Aleppo’s Kurdish Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood, despite the SDF’s withdrawal from the area under the March agreement. “While we are discussing integration, government-affiliated factions attack the neighborhood from ten axes.

That contradicts the positive rhetoric we hear,” he said.   Return of Afrin’s Kurds as a litmus test Hamo stressed that the government’s stance toward Afrin would serve as a test of its seriousness about national reconciliation. “The return of Afrin’s relocated people, compensation for victims, and accountability for perpetrators will prove whether the government is severe…