Middle East
After SDF dissolution, how will al-Sharaa treat Syria's Kurds?
Damascus is under pressure to prove that it can protect minorities as they incorporate into the central state
September 04, 2026
Damascus is under pressure to prove that it can protect minorities as they incorporate into the central state
The balance of power has shifted in the new government's favor
It likely won't lead to the violence and humiliation of other botched departures, including from the same region in 2019
New leadership brings SDF into central govt, leaving little reason for Washington to keep protecting it
But if reports are accurate, something is going on and it has nothing to do with ISIS
Critics say there is no better time than now to extricate American troops from the country
