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Syria’s new government signed an agreement last Monday (10 March) with the autonomous government in northeast Syria, in a deal that may finally unite the country after nearly 15 years of civil war.

The deal would establish cooperation between the new government in Damascus, led by figures from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). SDF leader Mazloum Abdi called it a “real opportunity to build a new Syria.”

Massacres in Northwest Syria

The deal comes after sectarian massacres in northwest Syria over the weekend, where militants slaughtered thousands of people associated with the Assad regime after a government convoy was attacked.

“It’s a little bit complicated when you look at all the different parties,” observed Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, “but the targeting of the Alawites — and the sweeping up of some Christians in those ‘massacres,’ as they’ve been described — that took place over the weekend, apparently put pressure on this insurgent-led government to come to some type of agreement.”

The deal recognises that “the Kurdish community is an essential component of the Syrian state,” which “guarantees its right to citizenship and all of its constitutional rights.” It calls for “the integration of all the civilian and military institutions of the northeast of Syria within the administration of the Syrian state, including border posts, the airport, and the oil and gas fields.”

“There’s going to be some cooperation between the Syrian regime… with [HTS leader] Al-Jilani and the Syrian Democratic Forces,” described CBN Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell on “Washington Watch.”

Previous Tensions Between Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

This is noteworthy because, until recently, HTS and the SDF were aligned on different sides of the conflict.

Backed by Turkey, HTS has longstanding associations with radical Islamist elements, including ISIS and al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, the SDF is backed by the U.S., helped to defeat ISIS forces in Syria, and has long opposed Turkey for its oppression of a Kurdish minority.

Until inking this new agreement, the only thing shared between HTS and the SDF was their opposition to the former Assad regime.

Impact for Christians?

The all-important question is, “Will this deal be a good one or a bad one for Christians and other religious minorities who have been targeted by Islamists?” asked Perkins, former chairman of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).

The jury is still out on that one. “When I first heard about this news, I was a bit upset and concerned that maybe this… autonomous area, was giving up too much of its autonomy,” Mitchell responded.

“I did just get off the phone with our friend, [former USCIRF Commissioner] Nadine Maenza, and she says it’s really a better deal, a good deal in the long run. And it really doesn’t give up… too much autonomy.”

Another area of concern is that, “over time, the U.S. and this autonomous government in northeast Syria [have] been able to capture and imprison tens of thousands of ISIS fighters,” Mitchell mentioned.

“And the concern has been, maybe under this new agreement, they would be let loose. It appears not, but we’ll see what happens.”

“This agreement with the regime… will be implemented by the end of 2025. But we’ll see what happens as it goes on,” he added.

But “it does make you wonder what’s going to happen when the Al-Jilani government really allowed the slaughter of perhaps over 10,000 Alawites, and many Christians got caught up in this.”

“My concern would be [that] this is causing them [the northeast government] to maybe think everything is at peace,” Perkins responded.

“If the Syrian Democratic Forces in the northeast area up there feel like this will get Turkey off their back, I mean, could this not be lulling them into a sense of security, when it’s not really there?”

“Turkey is part of this equation as well,” Mitchell agreed. “Turkey has been attacking the northeast Syrian autonomous government, killing hundreds and displacing hundreds of thousands there over the last number of years.” He added that the Turkish government had backed Al-Jilani since his days as an Islamist extremist, and that “much of the cabinet right now of this Al-Jilani regime is Turkish.”

Deal Looks to Be a Positive – For Now

On the other hand, the SDF may have agreed to the deal because it offered the best chance for security in a precarious situation. “The Syrian Democratic Forces — our friends in the northeast corner — realise America is pulling out its troops — [or has] pulled out most; there’s a few left — [so] that they felt like they had to have a deal for some form of protection going forward,” Perkins suggested.

“It would be so good just to have a presence, a U.S. presence, there in northeast Syria… just as a bulwark against any plans by Al-Jilani or Turkey itself,” added Mitchell.

“There’s great concern here in Israel… about this new regime. And that’s why Israel is actually hitting military targets inside Syria on an ongoing basis to make sure that the new regime doesn’t have the kind of military prowess that it could use against Israel or others in the neighbourhood.”

“This has been really a bright spot in the whole Middle East, this area of northeast Syria,” he continued.

“That’s one place where a lot of Christians have been protected. In fact, they’re part of the government there, a representative government. In fact, this government requires about 40% of the representation to be women. So, it really is a bright spot.”

He added that “it would be good to have a U.S. presence and plant the U.S. flag just as a bulwark against any plans by Al-Jilani or Turkey itself.”

“Right now, some people think this is a good deal,” said Mitchell.

“But we’ll be very leery of Turkish plans and goals going forward… It’s certainly a matter to be praying for.”

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Originally published at The Washington Stand.

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