Sharaa meets SDF officials as Syria takes over northeast base

DAMASCUS

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on April 16 met with senior figures linked to the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Damascus, as government troops expanded their presence in the northeast following a U.S. military withdrawal.

According to the state news agency SANA, Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani held talks with SDF head Mazloum Abdi and other senior official Ilham Ahmed.

The meeting focused on the implementation of a previously agreed framework to integrate SDF-affiliated structures into Syrian state institutions.

The agreement, reached on Jan. 29, stipulates a ceasefire and the gradual transfer of administrative and military control, including border crossings and oil fields, to the central government. Brigadier General Ziyad al-Ayish, the presidential envoy tasked with overseeing the process, also attended the talks.

The talks came as Syria’s Defense Ministry announced that its forces had taken control of the Qasrak Air Base in Hasakah province after U.S.-led coalition troops withdrew.

The ministry said the army moved into the facility shortly after the departure, consolidating control in the area.

Local sources reported that elements linked to the SDF set fire to some vehicles inside the base before withdrawing. The U.S. military, however, continues to maintain a limited presence in the region, including in Qamishli and parts of Hasakah.

Meanwhile, broader political shifts are unfolding. In a separate development, Kurdish residents have begun applying for Syrian citizenship under a decree issued by Sharaa earlier this year. The measure aims to address the longstanding statelessness affecting thousands of Kurds since a controversial 1962 census stripped many of their nationality.

The decree also recognizes Kurdish cultural and linguistic rights, marking a significant policy shift after years of marginalization.

For many, the move represents a long-awaited step toward legal recognition. “A person without citizenship is as good as dead,” one applicant told AFP, highlighting decades of restrictions on basic rights such as education, travel and property ownership.