The Islamist Syrian government is trying to give the impression they support peaceful unity in Syria, with President Ahmed al-Sharaa saying he believed Syria should be unified by some sort of understanding instead of by military force, because the Syrian people are tired of war.
His government’s actions tell a different story though, as after spurning Kurdish integration talks last week and refusing to allow any Druze to attend talks on the violence in Druze territory a few days later, the government is preparing a massive offensive against the Kurds.
Seeking to capture the Raqqa and Deir Ezzor Governorates from the Kurdish SDF’s control, the military is preparing some 50,000 troops for an offensive. The plan is to mass the troops at the city of Palmyra and sweep into Kurdish-controlled areas.
The SDF has an agreement in principle to integrate into the Syrian military, though it has been slowed by disagreements over the process. The US has been critical of the SDF for delays, and envoy Tom Barrack has warned the Kurds that federalism “doesn’t work” and they must accept integration.
For the past decade the US has repeatedly backed the SDF against ISIS. Now, it seems they are increasingly aligned with Sharaa, with President Trump praising him as strong and attractive. The US has also drawn down most of its forces from Kurdish territory, with their last substantial presence now far south at al-Tanf.
The offensive against the SDF is expected some time before October, but it reportedly won’t happen without a US green light. That would’ve been unthinkable in the past, though the administration’s current priority of uniting Syria behind the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) may have changed things, and the narrative that the Kurds are delaying the process may lead the US to quietly give Syria the go-ahead to attack their long-standing allies.
