Syrian Army Advances into Kurdish Regions, Ending Autonomy Dream

The Syrian Army moved into Hasakah in northeastern Syria this month, marking the first government presence in a Kurdish stronghold held for more than a decade. Benefiting from a switch in American support away from the Kurds, President Ahmed al-Sharaa has used a mixture of muscle and negotiation to take control of three eastern provinces as he seeks to unify Syria for the first time in 15 years.

Across the newly opened territory our reporting team found devastated infrastructure: hydroelectric dams, oil fields and farmland debilitated, cities strewn with trash and neighborhoods roaring with generators because power is intermittent. Security forces continue clearing mines, booby traps and underground tunnels, and officials are registering former S.D.F.

members at reconciliation centers while judges review detainee files. Reactions were mixed. Kurdish soldiers paraded with flags and weapons in Hasakah and many remained defiant, while other Kurds felt resigned or fearful for the future. Arab residents who had chafed under S.D.F.

Syria, Hasakah

syrian army, hasakah, kurdish autonomy, sdf, ahmed al-sharaa, syrian government, hydroelectric dams, oil fields, reconciliation centers, underground tunnels