Description: Syria’s current Minister of Defense Murhaf Abu Qasra has denounced the proposal from the Kurdish SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) regarding the establishment of their own military controlled bloc in the northeastern parts of the country. SDF’s commander Mazloum Abdi had stated that one of the most important demands of the organization is for Syria’s defense to be decentralized under several autonomous regions but was also open towards the idea of unified integration under the Defense Ministry. SDF’s position in a war – thorn Syria is complex, as they are one of the most reliable US allies in the fight against the Islamic State in the region but are considered a national security threat by Turkey.
Impact: With the ousting of Bashar al – Assad, Syria is scrambling to conform towards the establishment of elementary levels of government and military independence. The country is marginalized between foreign interests from the US, Turkey, Israel and Iran and the internal security situation only amplifies tensions and instability. The US would aim towards SDF’s integration within Syria’s Defense Ministry, as opposed to Turkey’s regional ambitions against the defense integration of the SDF, since their senior leadership echelon constituted of members from the PKK. Syria would have to approach the sensitive problem through presenting a multi – faceted solution which would potentially integrate all military and defense fractions under unified command.