Seban Hamo, member of the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and a member of the military negotiation committee with the Interim Government, stated that the SDF is ready to join the newly planned Syrian army, \u201cprovided that the integration process is based on principles that respect the identity of the forces, their struggle, and sacrifices, and guarantees the rights of all components of the Syrian people without exception.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an extensive interview conducted by the SDF Media Center, Hamo emphasized that the forthcoming steps of the Interim Government will determine the course of the integration process, \u201cwhether it is accelerated, slowed down, or even frozen,\u201d pointing out that the SDF will remain a national unifying force defending all Syrians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that the term \u201cintegration\u201d has been introduced in negotiation discourse since the signing of the March 10, 2025 agreement, stressing that integration is not merely a military procedure but a political step towards building a national army. He noted that \u201cany new Syrian army cannot be built without the participation of the SDF, which has fought decisive battles against ISIS and made significant sacrifices for Syria\u2019s unity.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamo added that \u201csome parties within the Interim Government still think with the mentality of the former regime and try to impose visions aimed at canceling or marginalizing the SDF\u2019s identity,\u201d describing this as \u201cunacceptable and cannot be called national.\u201d He stressed that any integration process must recognize the role of the SDF and the rights of all Syrian components: \u201cSunnis, Kurds, Druze, Alawites, and Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Positive Atmosphere but No Concrete Results<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamo pointed out that the recent meeting in Damascus, which involved the Ministry of Defense and American officials, was characterized by a positive atmosphere but did not result in any written agreements, only general promises. He said, \u201cWe demanded that this atmosphere be translated into practical steps on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He explained that trust obstacles still exist, and the Interim Government has not taken sufficient measures to instill reassurance among the components, referring to recent mass killings targeting Alawites and Druze and the widespread security chaos, describing these practices as \u201ca serious challenge to integration efforts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamo also highlighted that the recent attack on Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood in Aleppo, despite the withdrawal of SDF forces according to the March agreement, raised significant concerns about the intentions of some parties within the Interim Government. He said, \u201cWhile we talk about integration, government-affiliated factions are attacking the neighborhood from ten axes, which contradicts the positive rhetoric we hear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Return of Afrin Residents<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamo clarified that accelerating the integration process depends on the Interim Government\u2019s steps regarding the rights of the components, noting that the government\u2019s stance on the Afrin issue \u201cwill be the true measure of intentions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He stated, \u201cThe return of displaced Afrin residents, compensation for those affected, and holding accountable those responsible for violations will be indicators of the government\u2019s seriousness in building a national army. If they act justly towards Afrin, the government can be viewed differently.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hamo emphasized that the SDF \u201chas proven to be the only national force capable of communicating with all Syrian components and is ready to be the core of the new Syrian army and a guarantee for correcting the political and military course.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Seban Hamo, member of the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and a member of the military negotiation committee with the Interim Government, stated that the SDF is ready to join the newly planned Syrian army, \u201cprovided that the integration process is based on principles that respect the identity of the forces, their …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2752,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-2751","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-s3"],"yoast_head":"\n