U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack announced on social media that he had met with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Barrack said the meeting addressed compliance with the March 18 agreement.
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria and Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack said, “Today I met with Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed,” adding that “the United States reaffirmed its strong support and commitment to advancing the integration process envisaged in the agreement reached on January 18 between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian government.”
Noting that an understanding had been reached on the ceasefire, Barrack added:
“All parties agreed that the full preservation of the existing ceasefire is a vital first step, while jointly identifying and implementing confidence-building measures on all fronts to promote trust and lasting stability.”
‘The SDF Is No Longer the Primary Force’
Following the announcement of the January 18 agreement, Barrack said in a post on X that with the Syrian government joining the anti-ISIS coalition, “the SDF’s role as the primary force in the fight against ISIS has largely come to an end,” and went on to list “the main issues the United States is focused on in Syria” as follows:
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Ensuring the security of prison facilities currently guarded by the SDF that hold ISIS detainees.
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Facilitating talks between the SDF and the Syrian government to enable the peaceful integration of the SDF and the political inclusion of Syria’s Kurdish population into full Syrian citizenship, as has historically been the case.