Syrian Kurdish forces are prioritizing war preparations over dialogue as negotiations with Damascus stall, despite continued US pressure for integration, a senior military commander has revealed.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Sipan Hemo, a top Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander, warned that the risk of conflict remains real as US-brokered talks have failed to produce results ahead of a December deadline. "As a military commander, what am I to divine from this situation?" Hemo asked. "The situation is clear. War preparations have taken precedence."
The stark assessment comes eight months after the SDF and Syria's interim government signed a landmark March 10 agreement to merge their forces and institutions. Despite US Special Envoy Tom Barrack's claim that talks were going "amazingly well," Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani contradicted this narrative, telling Al-Monitor that "no positive or practical steps" had been taken.
The sides continue to blame each other for the impasse. Interim government officials accuse the Kurds of "maximalism," claiming recent violence in Suwayda and Israeli intervention emboldened Kurdish demands. Kurdish leaders counter that Damascus was never sincere and is waiting to assert full control before acting against them.
Hemo, who commanded Afrin before its 2018 invasion by Turkish-led forces, detailed fundamental disagreements dividing the parties. "For [the interim government], integration is to completely abandon oneself, to annihilate oneself, to deny one's own identity," he said. "For them, integration is dissolution." The Kurdish vision, he explained, centers on "preserving your identity, your existence, your color, your will" within a democratic framework.
The commander pointed to unilateral government actions as evidence of bad faith. "An interim government was formed. Our opinion was not sought. A constitution was declared; we were not included," Hemo said. "Parliamentary elections took place in the form of theater. It wasn't even an election. It was a selection."
Recent violence has reinforced Kurdish suspicions. Kurdish-majority neighborhoods in Aleppo, including Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, remain under siege following attacks from seven positions. An April 1 agreement for Aleppo, which Hemo dismissed as "an April Fools' lie," has collapsed. Roads between Der Hafer and Raqqa have been blocked for two months, cutting off military and civilian access.
"When presented with the incidents in Latakia and those in Suwayda as a military commander, what sort of precautions would you take?" Hemo asked. "Naturally, in the face of these waves of violence, we improved our defenses, enhanced our war capacity."
Despite preparations for conflict, Kurdish forces remain committed to dialogue. "Our basic goal is to reach an agreement through dialogue, to resolve the future of Syria through dialogue, to secure constitutional guarantees for the rights of all of Syria's people," Hemo emphasized.
The SDF commander also criticized the interim government's claims of control, noting that various armed groups continue managing their own territories. "To present the situation in Syria as if it were stable and under control and that the remaining obstacle to progress is the SDF is completely misleading," he said.