Thousands of Kurds rally in Syria ahead of integration

Thousands of Syrian Kurds gathered in the northeastern city of Qamishli on Sunday in a show of solidarity ahead of the implementation of a recent agreement with the Syrian government.

On Friday, Damascus and Kurdish authorities reached a comprehensive deal to gradually integrate Kurdish military and civilian institutions into the state.

The agreement followed weeks of territorial concessions by the Kurds to advancing government forces.

The developments represent a setback for Kurdish groups, who had sought to maintain the de facto autonomy they established after seizing large areas of northern and northeastern Syria during the civil war in campaigns against the Islamic State group, with backing from a US-led coalition.

The deal maintains an ongoing ceasefire that put an end to weeks of heavy fighting. It outlines the "gradual integration" of Kurdish forces and administrative institutions. It also appears to address some Kurdish demands, including the establishment of brigades of fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Kurdish-majority areas.

SDF chief Mazloum Abdi said the agreement would begin implementation on Monday, with both sides withdrawing from frontline positions in the Kurdish-held town of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, and other areas of the northeast.

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He added that a "limited internal security force" would enter parts of Hasakah and Qamishli, while no military forces would enter Kurdish cities or towns.

The Syrian Information Minister, Hamza Mustafa, said the agreement included the transfer of some oil fields, the Qamishli airport and border crossings to the government within 10 days.

Mustafa added that SDF fighters would be integrated individually into new brigades under army command.

The United States, which until recently supported the Kurdish forces, said that the purpose of its alliance with them has largely concluded.

The integration of the Kurdish forces is part of a wider set of reforms signed off by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, which seek to bring the northeastern territory under government control. 

The new deal, whose text was released by both sides, "seeks to unify the Syrian territory and achieve full integration" of the Kurdish-majority region.