BEIRUT: According to an official on Tuesday, negotiations between representatives of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syria’s de facto head Ahmed al-Sharaa have been “positive.”
Using Sharaa’s alias, the official stated, “Senior officials of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Jolani met on Monday in Damascus.”
However, as diplomatic attempts continue, a war monitor said that three pro-Kurdish security officers were slain in Aleppo early Tuesday by Turkish-backed fighters. This was the first strike of its kind in Syria’s second city since rebels took control in early December.
“Three security personnel were killed and seven critically wounded when Turkish-backed gunmen and explosive-laden drones attacked a checkpoint of the (Kurdish-led) Internal Security Forces in the Kurdish-majority Ashrafieh neighborhood,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The Britain-based monitor went on to say, “This is the first attack of its kind in the area since the fall of the (Bashar al-Assad) regime.”
The HTS military head is appointed as the temporary defense minister by Damascus authorities.
Additionally, a bank official announced on Tuesday that Maysa Sabreen, the first female leader of the financial sector, had been selected by Syrian authorities as the country’s temporary central bank governor.
“We received an internal circular yesterday designating Dr. Maysa Sabreen to serve as the caretaker for the Central Bank of Syria,” he stated.
The 41-year-old Abu Qasra, the religious group’s military leader, was also named the transitional government’s defense minister by Syria’s new authorities on Tuesday.
The official news agency SANA released a statement that read, “The General Command announces the nomination of General Murhaf Abu Qasra as defense minister in the new government of the Syrian Arab Republic.”
The discussions on Monday marked Sharaa’s first encounters with Kurdish leaders since his troops deposed longstanding leader Bashar al-Assad in early December. The SDF is now engaged in combat with groups supported by Turkey in northern Syria.
The official stated that both parties had decided “to continue these meetings to reach future understandings” and described the meeting as a “preliminary meeting to lay the foundations for future dialogue.”
There will be “intensifying dialogue and meetings in the future,” he said, characterizing the encounter as “positive.”
The Kurdish-led forces ought to be incorporated into the new national army, Sharaa stated on Sunday on Al Arabiya TV.
“Only the state should possess weapons.” We will accept everyone who is qualified and armed to work in the defense ministry,” he declared.
“We will begin a dialogue and negotiations with the SDF under these terms and conditions in the hopes of finding a suitable solution.”
For five years, Abu Qasra, 41, a former agronomic, served as the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) military branch.
HTS chief Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is currently Syria’s de facto leader, issued an order on Sunday elevating Abu Qasra to the rank of general.
