Al-Hasakah Deputy Governor Ahmed al-Hilali said three main files remain before the integration process between the Syrian government and the dissolved Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is completed in al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria: the military and security file, the administrative and civilian file, and the services and technical file.

The three tracks include the following, according to remarks Hilali gave to Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday, Sept. 4:

•  First: The military and security file concerns completing the restructuring of personnel and cadres and integrating those who meet the requirements into the Ministries of Defense and Interior in accordance with approved procedures.
•  Second: The administrative and civilian file includes the status of employees and staff, mechanisms for formalizing their employment and paying their entitlements, and integrating institutions and departments whose transfer to the state has not yet been completed.
•  Third: Several service, technical, and administrative files related to the transfer of powers and the reunification of work systems, data, and resources.

Hilali said these files do not represent an obstacle to the integration process as much as they are implementation matters that need to be completed. “The political decision is clear, and the general direction has been settled. State institutions will be unified, and the Syrian state will be the reference authority, while preserving the rights of all citizens and all components of the governorate,” he said.

He said the integration process stipulated in the January agreement had moved from the stage of “understandings and negotiations” to “actual implementation,” whether in civilian, security, or military institutions.

Asked when the integration of military, security, and civilian institutions would be fully completed, Hilali said he did not want to set an “artificial” date for a process of this scale and complexity, explaining that “there are files that require technical, administrative, and security procedures before they can be finally closed.”

He stressed that the integration process was at a very advanced stage and that the general direction was clearly toward completing it as soon as possible.

Most of the work has now entered the implementation stage, and what remains are detailed files requiring the completion of arrangements, reviews, and coordination among ministries and relevant bodies, Hilali added.

He noted that the most important point was for the integration to be complete, genuine, and sustainable, rather than merely a political announcement whose effect would end after a short period.

Security Situation Moving Toward Stability

Hilali described the current security situation as “much better, and there is a state of stability that is gradually strengthening,” stressing that the process was moving toward completion and that the goal was for it to proceed calmly.

He said the main reason behind the disappearance of the disorder that had previously prevailed in al-Hasakah, particularly incidents caused by the “Revolutionary Youth Movement,” was that the situation had changed. He added, “Previously, there were attempts to obstruct the process of state institutions taking over, and some movements emerged that sought to disrupt this course. But as implementation of the agreement progressed and the direction toward ending institutional and security duality became clear, these manifestations declined significantly.”

“Today, there is a growing conviction among everyone that state institutions should not be a subject of conflict or confrontation, and that the integration process is moving toward completion. What we want is for this process to take place calmly, away from provocation and tension, and for all residents of the governorate to feel that the return of state institutions means the return of services, law, and stability, and is not directed against any component of society,” Hilali said.

Hilali concluded by stressing that the integration process was not merely about transferring buildings or changing names, but about reunifying the chains of authority and administrative, security, and military decision-making under the Syrian state. Important steps had been completed in this direction, he said, while work continued to finalize the remaining files in an organized manner that would prevent an institutional or security vacuum and preserve stability in the governorate.

Handover of Heavy Weapons

The dissolved SDF began handing over its heavy weapons and equipment to the Syrian Ministry of Defense in al-Hasakah Governorate, as part of measures linked to completing the integration of military and security institutions and formations in the governorate.

Enab Baladi’s correspondent in al-Hasakah said on Thursday, Sept. 3, that the SDF had begun handing over heavy weapons to the Syrian Ministry of Defense, as the ministry simultaneously deployed heavy vehicles and transporters to the governorate to move the weapons and equipment that had been surrendered.

According to the correspondent, the equipment transferred included armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, Russian-made Ural trucks used to transport equipment, BTR armored personnel carriers, and US-made Humvees.

The transfer of equipment came after Syrian Internal Security forces entered al-Hasakah city on Sept. 1 and began deploying there as part of arrangements to complete the integration of military and security institutions.

Agreement Led to SDF Dissolution

At the beginning of this year, the Syrian army took control of large areas of the southern and eastern countryside and parts of the western countryside of al-Hasakah Governorate, while the SDF withdrew into major cities, including al-Hasakah and Qamishli.

The shift in the map of territorial control resulted in the continued presence of more than one military, security, and administrative authority in the governorate, before the Syrian government and the SDF began implementing understandings related to integrating institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration into state institutions.

On Jan. 29, the Syrian government and the SDF agreed to begin integrating military, security, and service institutions in the governorate into government ministry structures, and implementation of the agreement began gradually during February.

The integration measures included civilian, military, and security institutions, while arrangements continued to unify administrative and security work in areas that had been under SDF control.

On Aug. 25, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced the dissolution of the SDF and its affiliated formations, a step taken as part of the understandings with the Syrian government.

Two days after the announcement, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Aug. 27 appointing Abdi as an adviser to the Presidency of the Republic.