Al-Hasakah Deputy Governor and spokesperson for the presidential team overseeing the implementation of the agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, Ahmed al-Hilali, said that over 9,000 members of the Asayish, the SDF-affiliated internal security forces, are candidates for integration into the Internal Security Directorate in al-Hasakah Governorate, under Syria’s Ministry of Interior, including around 1,000 women.
He noted that the figure is preliminary and does not necessarily mean the final results will match it.
Speaking to al-Ikhbariya on Thursday, June 4, al-Hilali said the integration process will begin with individual interviews for the members included in the process, explaining that it will start in the coming period.
He explained that the next stage includes checking each member’s personal data, documents, and employment record, then assessing the actual needs of the Ministry of Interior and identifying suitable specializations.
As for the timeline, al-Hilali said it depends on the actual number of applicants and the administrative and technical procedures required. Work is proceeding according to a phased plan aimed at completing the largest part of the procedures during July, while ensuring accuracy, transparency, and the best results, according to him.
Building a “Unified National” Institution
Acceptance criteria will depend on meeting age and health requirements, having legal eligibility, and the absence of legal obstacles preventing enrollment, in addition to assessing previous experience, professional competence, and suitability for the actual needs of the Ministry of Interior.
Al-Hilali said these criteria aim to build a “unified national” security institution based on competence, discipline, commitment to the law, and service to citizens.
The deputy governor also explained that accepted members will be assigned according to the organizational and administrative needs determined by the Ministry of Interior, in a way that ensures proper workflow and efficient security services for citizens, while taking into account the nature of the members’ specializations and experience and the requirements of work in different units and sectors.
He noted that the priority at the current stage is to support stability and strengthen the work of security institutions in al-Hasakah governorate first, and across the eastern region more broadly, within the framework of the state and its official institutions.
Al-Hilali had previously told Enab Baladi that the next stage would see interviews with Asayish members, after the forces submitted lists of their members’ names to the Internal Security Command affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Interior.
He said specialized committees will be formed to conduct these interviews in the cities of al-Hasakah and al-Qamishli, in preparation for integrating accepted members into the official Internal Security Command, as part of completing the unification of security agencies.
Understanding of the Judiciary and Detainees
Al-Hasakah governorate had announced that a set of understandings had been reached, centered on service, security, and judicial files.
The most prominent of these understandings was an agreement to activate the Palace of Justice according to a specific mechanism, in addition to working to release more than 300 detained SDF fighters soon.
A Complex Field and Political Context
This movement comes within a complex political and field context that the region has witnessed since the beginning of this year. Areas of northeastern Syria saw notable shifts in the balance of control in mid-January, after the Syrian army took control of Raqqa governorate (northern Syria) and parts of the countryside of Deir Ezzor (eastern Syria) and al-Hasakah, prompting the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, to reposition within the main cities, particularly al-Hasakah and al-Qamishli, as well as Ain al-Arab (Kobani).
These developments were followed by the signing of an agreement between the Syrian government and SDF at the end of January, which stipulated the integration of the military, security, and service institutions affiliated with the Autonomous Administration into state structures. This path began to be implemented in practice during February, amid efforts to reorganize the administrative and security structure in the region.
However, the implementation of the agreement faced several obstacles, most notably a dispute that emerged on April 19 over the mechanism for the Ministry of Justice to take over the judicial file in al-Hasakah governorate. This coincided with the arrival of a government delegation in al-Qamishli, after a previous visit to the Palace of Justice in al-Hasakah as part of efforts to reactivate judicial work.
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