(Adnkronos) – The Damascus government has appointed a senior commander of the Kurdish forces as deputy Defense Minister, as agreed in the understanding reached between the Syrian State and the SDF after the violent clashes of recent weeks. This is Sipan Hamo, who is among the founders of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the armed wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and participated in negotiations with Damascus for the agreement that aims to integrate Kurdish forces and institutions into the central state.
According to a government official, Hamo has been appointed “deputy Defense Minister for the eastern region,” which corresponds to areas under Kurdish control. The January agreement, announced after months of stalemate and violent fighting, dealt a severe blow to the hopes of autonomy for the Kurds who controlled vast areas of northern and northeastern Syria (known as Rojava), before being forced to withdraw from some areas.
The agreement stipulates that Damascus’s security forces will deploy in the autonomous Kurdish zone, while the SDF will be grouped within a division of the Syrian army, composed of three brigades. Under the agreement, the Kurds also had to propose candidates for the posts of deputy Defense Minister and governor of their stronghold of Hassaké, the latter having occurred at the end of February.
