In the room where commander Mazloum Abdi met with Le Monde on Sunday, January 12, the Syrian opposition’s three-star tricolor flag had been flying for the past few days. The symbol shows “we are an integral part of Syria and that we aspire to work as a team with the new authorities in Damascus,” explained the leader of the Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which control Syria’s northeast. Nevertheless, the 58-year-old Syrian Kurdish officer, whom Le Monde met within the autonomous Rojava region, made it clear that this did not imply recognition of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the group that has ruled Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Although, for the time being, “the rhetoric used in Damascus inspires a certain confidence,” the Kurdish commander was waiting to see “whether they [HTS members] are really ready to cooperate fully.”
On December 30, 2024, Abdi met with the head of HTS, Ahmad al-Sharaa, in Damascus. These discussions, which the general described as “long” and “positive,” led to the decision to form two committees tasked with negotiating military and administrative agreements. “We’re not asking for secession, but for reinforced administrative autonomy. Rojava must retain its local authority, all while cooperating with the central government,” insisted Abdi. Al-Sharaa, for his part, has, for the time being, been opposed to any military or political autonomy in the northeast. However, he has agreed to allow these issues to be examined by the two committees.
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