Cadres from the civil and military councils affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held an expanded meeting with a number of notables and residents of the town of Marat (eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, eastern Syria), during which they discussed political developments and the future of local governance in the area, a military source from the SDF told Enab Baladi.

The source said the meeting, held on Sunday, October 19, addressed issues related to the “joint administration” proposals and integration within the latest organizational plans the SDF is advancing in its territories east of the Euphrates, in addition to political and military developments in Syria.

During the meeting, a military intelligence official with the SDF spoke about what he described as “violations” committed by the Syrian government in Suwayda (southern Syria). He alleged the government “committed massacres against members of the Druze community,” claiming that some of those involved in the incidents “disguised themselves in tribal attire to conceal their affiliation with the Syrian government.”

“He also blamed the Syrian government for massacres that took place in coastal areas (western Syria). He asserted that it sought to pin them on other parties to mislead public opinion.” as he put it.

Nouri al-Khalil, a commander in the Deir Ezzor Military Council, denied that any Syrian government forces had entered SDF-held areas of Deir Ezzor. He said at the meeting, according to the source, that “the area remains under the administration of the Syrian Democratic Forces. We have not handed over Deir Ezzor to the Syrian government, and not an inch of its land has been entered.”

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi previously met with military commanders, heads of local councils, and tribal notables from Deir Ezzor on July 27, with the stated aim of agreeing on an SDF withdrawal from the entirety of Deir Ezzor’s countryside in preparation for the Syrian government to assume administration of the city and its countryside.

A participant in that meeting, who requested anonymity for security reasons, told Enab Baladi at the time that the decision came under American pressure on the SDF.

Meeting between al-Sharaa and Abdi

Syria’s transitional president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi met in Damascus on October 7. The meeting, confirmed by Agence France-Presse on its X page quoting a government source, is the second of its kind since last March.

AFP cited two sources saying the U.S. Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, and U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Brad Cooper attended the meeting.

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

The “Autonomous Administration” announced preliminary outcomes from the October 7 meetings held by the SDF delegation with government representatives in Damascus. The talks covered constitutional, security, and humanitarian files aimed at bolstering stability and building peace in Syria.

On the “North and East Syria Communications” account on X, the two sides were said to have discussed amending the country’s constitution, described as “critically important, since any state’s constitution must represent all its inhabitants and protect every individual.”

They also discussed the principle of integrating 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 that serves to protect all Syrians.”

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

The account added that the talks also touched on the return of displaced people and ways to combat terrorism, describing these files as “key issues to ensure stability and lasting peace in Syria.”

No formal document has yet been signed between the two sides, according to the delegation’s account on X.

Ongoing negotiations with Damascus

Negotiations between the “Autonomous Administration” and the SDF on the one hand, and Syrian government officials in Damascus on the other, are ongoing. Most recently, on October 13, an SDF military delegation arrived in Damascus to discuss “integration” within the Syrian army.

The SDF delegation, composed of General Command members Sozdar Haji and Sipan Hemo, SDF spokesperson Abjar Dawood, and commander Shaker Arab, met with Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra.

The “Security Committee for North and East Syria,” made up of Maj. Gen. Dilor Temo, Maj. Gen. Ali al-Hasan, Maj. Gen. Aho Lahdo and Arin Mustafa, the deputy co-presidency of the Interior Authority, also met with Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab.