Syrians in al-Hol camp to return to their original areas: Sources
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Earlier, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria called for a halt to military operations across all Syrian territories to pave the way for an inclusive and constructive national dialogue.
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Residents of northeastern Syria walk toward the Tishreen Dam to join a sit-in demanding an end to the war in the region in Aleppo's countryside, Syria, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 (AP)
The "Kurdish Autonomous Administration" of North and East Syria announced its decision to allow all Syrians residing in the al-Hol camp to return to their original areas, Al Mayadeen's sources in Syria reported on Thursday.
The sources stated that the "Autonomous Administration" pledged to provide all necessary facilities to ensure the safe return of Syrians residing in the camp to their regions.
Earlier, the administration called for a halt to military operations across all Syrian territories to pave the way for an inclusive and constructive national dialogue, urging a stance of tolerance and refraining from hate speech and accusations of treason among Syrians.
In its initiative, titled The Syrian Dialogue Initiative to Build a New Syria, the administration emphasized the need to "end the state of occupation" and allow the Syrian people to determine their future while upholding the principle of good neighborly relations.
It also stressed the importance of "continuing the fight against terrorism to ensure the Islamic State (ISIS) does not return, through joint efforts between the Syrian Democratic Forces and the International Coalition.
Furthermore, the "Autonomous Administration" underlined that "economic resources and wealth must be distributed equitably across all Syrian regions, as they are the rightful property of all Syrian people."
Syrian MoD open to talks with Kurds, threatens action if talks fail
Syria's Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra stated on Wednesday that Damascus remains open to negotiations with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) regarding their integration into the national army but emphasized readiness to resort to force if talks fail.
"The door to negotiation with the (Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces) is currently open," Abu Qasra told reporters. "If we have to use force, we will be ready."
Last month, an official informed AFP that an SDF delegation had met with Syria's interim leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who leads the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which spearheaded the offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad.
Al-Sharaa has repeatedly emphasized that all factions should be integrated into the newly restructured national army to ensure that weapons remain exclusively under state control.
"They offered us oil, but we don't want oil, we want the institutions and the borders," Abu Qasra indicated on Wednesday.
The SDF, backed by the United States, played a leading role in the military campaign that ousted ISIS from its last territorial stronghold in Syria in 2019. The group currently controls a significant portion of the oil-rich northeast, where it has exercised de facto autonomy for over a decade.
However, Ankara, which maintains ties with HTS, accuses the SDF's primary component, the People's Protection Units (YPG), of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkiye designates as a "terrorist" organization.
In an offensive coinciding with HTS' advance on Damascus, Turkish-backed armed groups in northern Syria seized several territories from the SDF late last year.
Earlier this month, then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that efforts were underway to address Turkey's concerns and to deter it from escalating its military operations against the SDF.
