The Deir Ezzor Military Council, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), agreed with brigade and military council commanders, as well as the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), on several decisions aimed at improving the efficiency of fighters and military leadership to enhance security and confront the Islamic State group.

According to a statement published by the SDF on Wednesday, October 29, the decisions included:

• Launching advanced training and qualification programs to improve the combat and tactical level of fighters.
• Establishing new mechanisms to strengthen intelligence work.
• Enhancing information-sharing between brigades, military councils, and the Women’s Protection Units.
• Developing leadership and administrative capabilities within the military councils to ensure higher readiness in addressing security challenges.
• Boosting coordination between military councils to secure supply lines, operations, and protect infrastructure.

The Deir Ezzor Military Council affirmed that fighting the Islamic State and maintaining security and stability in the region remain its top priorities.

It stressed that joint efforts among brigades, military councils, and the Women’s Protection Units will continue until all security threats are eliminated, with greater coordination among the councils and field units to counter Islamic State cells and strengthen the military and security performance of the council’s forces.

Proposals by the “Joint Administration”

On October 19, members from the SDF’s civil and military councils held a broad meeting with elders and residents of the town of Marat in eastern Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria), to discuss political developments and the future of governance in the area, a military source from the SDF told Enab Baladi.

The source said the meeting addressed proposals for a “joint administration” and integration within the recent organizational plans being advanced by the SDF in its areas of control east of the Euphrates, in addition to political and military developments in Syria.

During the meeting, an SDF military intelligence official spoke about what he described as “violations” committed by the Syrian government in Suwayda (southern Syria), claiming that it “committed massacres against members of the Druze community,” and that some participants in these events “disguised themselves in tribal clothing to conceal their affiliation with the Syrian government,” according to his statement.

The official also blamed the Syrian government for the massacres that occurred in the coastal region, saying it “sought to pin them on other parties to mislead public opinion.”

Nouri al-Khalil, a commander in the Deir Ezzor Military Council, denied that any Syrian government forces had entered Deir Ezzor areas under SDF control. He said during the meeting, according to the same source, “The region remains under the administration of the Syrian Democratic Forces. We have not handed over Deir Ezzor to the Syrian government, and they have not entered a single inch of its territory.”

On July 27, SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi met with military leaders, local council heads, and tribal elders from Deir Ezzor province to discuss the SDF’s withdrawal from the entire countryside of Deir Ezzor in preparation for the Syrian government’s takeover of the city and its countryside.

A source who attended that meeting and requested anonymity for security reasons told Enab Baladi that the decision was made under American pressure on the SDF.

Meeting between al-Sharaa and Abdi

On October 7, Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, held a meeting in Damascus with Mazloum Abdi, the SDF’s commander.

The meeting, confirmed by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on its X page quoting a government source, was the second of its kind since March.

AFP cited two sources saying that the meeting was attended by U.S. Envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack and Commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Brad Cooper.

According to the pro-SDF Hawar News Agency, the delegation of the Autonomous Administration included Mazloum Abdi and SDF officials Ilham Ahmed, and Rohlat Afrin.

The Autonomous Administration announced preliminary results of the October 7 meetings between the SDF delegation and Syrian government representatives in Damascus, which addressed constitutional, security, and humanitarian issues aimed at enhancing stability and building peace in Syria.

The “North and East Syria Communications” account on X stated that both sides discussed amending the country’s constitution, describing this point as “crucially important, as any country’s constitution should represent all its inhabitants and protect every individual.”

They also discussed the integration of the SDF and Internal Security Forces within a unified national framework, which the delegation described as a step toward forming “an organized and effective army serving the protection of all Syrians.”

The delegation also called for a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire in northeastern Syria and Aleppo, stressing the need for “all Syrians to live in a safe country.”

According to the same account, the talks also touched on the return of displaced persons and ways to combat terrorism, noting that these files are “key issues for ensuring lasting stability and peace in Syria.”