“The deadline that we gave does not include northeast Syria, because the northeast Syria file has a separate agreement that the defense ministry will carry out,” Murhaf Abu Qasra told the state-run al-Ikhbariya channel.
Qasra earlier this month set a deadline - set to expire on Tuesday - for small armed groups yet to be integrated into the state security apparatus to hand over arms and integrate.
The decision applies to “several small groups present in the provinces,” according to Qasra. “We gave them this deadline - 10 days - to review and consult the defense ministry so we can begin integration with the ministry,” he said.
On Monday, the defense chief asserted that “no group will be allowed to act outside the defense ministry’s authority,” stressing that his ministry will build an army with a “national military doctrine.”
“We are working to bridge the gap between the army and the people,” he said.
Regarding Kurdish-led forces in northeast Syria, Qasra was referring to the landmark March 10 agreement, signed between interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi.
The agreement seeks to integrate the SDF into the state apparatus, recognizes the Kurds as an integral part of Syria, includes a countrywide ceasefire, and stipulates the return of displaced Syrians to their hometowns.
On Thursday, the Syrian energy ministry told Rudaw that institutions in the Kurdish-held northeast will remain in place but come under Damascus oversight after the finalization of the March 10 agreement.
