DAANES–Syria relations

The relations between the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Syrian government concern the military and political relationship between the de facto autonomous multi-ethnic region in northern and eastern Syria and the central Syrian government. Relations first existed in the context of the Syrian civil war and the Rojava conflict, as Kurdish Syrians and other ethnic minorities established the DAANES, also translated in English as the Self-Administration of Northeast Syria, as a semi-autonomous region within Syria, then controlled by the Ba'athist regime and President Bashar al-Assad.

The Syrian Ba'athist government did not officially recognise the autonomy of the DAANES, and advocated a centralist approach to the governance of Syria. The DAANES sought the federalization of Syria, but not full independence. The Assad regime had no authority or institutions in the DAANES outside of its two security boxes in Qamishli and Al-Hasakah. The DAANES did not allow the Syrian Government to hold elections in areas under its control, instead holding its own elections. For much of the period between 2015 and 2024, an informal non-aggression pact existed between the Syrian Armed Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with occasional confrontations continuing. The two forces cooperated against Islamist groups, including the Islamic State, as well as against the Turkish Armed Forces and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army following its intervention into the country. The two sides co-operated militarily under Russian supervision between 2019 and 2024, with Syrian and Russian troops stationed along the Turkish occupation zone to prevent further advances.

The DAANES and SDF participated in the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, at times fighting against opposition forces and the Syrian government. Following the fall of the Assad regime, the DAANES established relations with the transitional government headed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa. In March 2025, it was agreed that the DAANES recognized the new government and would begin to transition its military and political institutions into the government by the end of 2025. When that deadline passed without meaningful progress, the Syrian transitional government, assisted by local Arab rebel groups, seized swathes of DAANES territory. The DAANES agreed to dissolve itself and integrate institutions into the government, while the SDF would also be absorbed by the central military.