Barzani Visits Damascus: SDF Integration, ISIS Detainees and Border Security Top Talks

The president of Iraq's semi‑autonomous Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, traveled to Damascus on Monday and met with Syrian president Ahmed al‑Sharaa — the first visit by an Iraqi Kurdish leader since December 2024. Barzani arrived with a senior delegation and was received at the People's Palace, where official statements said discussions focused on bilateral ties, economic cooperation and coordination on regional stability.

Focus Of The Visit

According to Syria's state news agency SANA and the Syrian Presidency, talks emphasized ways to enhance coordination — particularly in the economic sphere — and addressed issues of common interest that could contribute to stability across the region. Barzani highlighted the shared interests of neighbouring states and the potential to expand economic cooperation for mutual benefit.

"We discussed the importance of Syria's role in enhancing peace, security and stability in the region," Barzani said on X. "By virtue of being neighbours, Syria, Iraq and the Kurdistan Region share many common interests, and there are great opportunities to expand economic cooperation to achieve mutual benefit for all our peoples."

SDF Integration And Security Issues

The visit comes as Damascus moves to finalise the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — the Kurdish‑led militia that controls key parts of north‑eastern Syria, centered on Al‑Hasakah Governorate — into state institutions. An agreement signed in January envisages integrating SDF fighters into the defence and interior ministries and forming units under Syrian army command.

Following a series of military shifts and political arrangements, the SDF's territorial control has narrowed from its former peak of roughly one‑third of Syria to core strongholds around Hasakah, after administrative authority in Raqqa and Deir ez‑Zor was returned to state institutions.

Detention Camps And Humanitarian Concerns

Al Jazeera correspondent Obaida Hitto, reporting from Damascus, said Kurdish rights and the broader Kurdish question were likely to be high on the agenda. He also stressed that talks go beyond troop integration, pointing to the fate of thousands detained in camps such as Al‑Hol and Al‑Roj. Authorities estimate the camps and associated facilities hold about 9,000 alleged ISIS fighters plus nearly 40,000 detained family members from dozens of countries — a complex security and humanitarian challenge likely to fall increasingly under Damascus' responsibility as integration proceeds.

Border Security And Regional Stability

Border security was another major subject. Officials discussed measures to curb smuggling of drugs and weapons across the Syrian‑Iraqi frontier and how to counter Iranian‑backed militias active along the border, including in areas adjacent to the Kurdistan Region of northern Iraq.

Recent Steps And Diplomatic Context

Since the January agreement, Syrian security forces have reentered cities including Al‑Hasakah and Al‑Qamishli, the state has assumed administration of Al‑Qamishli airport and key oil fields in the northeast, and Kurdish military leader Sipan Hemo was appointed assistant to the defence minister for the eastern region. Barzani's visit follows months of diplomatic engagement between Erbil and Damascus, including efforts to reopen a Syrian consulate in Erbil and prior meetings between Barzani and al‑Sharaa at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkiye.

Barzani's itinerary reportedly also included meetings with Kurdish officials inside Syria — including SDF commanders and Kurdish members of the Syrian parliament — and he has previously hosted SDF commander Mazloum Abdi in Erbil during recent military operations in the northeast.

While clashes have continued in parts of north‑east Syria, both Damascus and Kurdish actors have publicly signalled a willingness to advance the January integration agreement. The visit is likely to be followed by continued negotiation on political rights, security arrangements and the humanitarian management of detention sites.