The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have put forward the names of ten of their members to assume positions in the Syrian government, according to an SDF source who spoke to The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Sunday.
The source added that the nominations are awaiting final government approval. He explained that the nominee for the post of governor of Hasakeh province in northeastern Syria is Nour al-Din Ahmad, also known as Abu Omar Khanika.
The source also that the SDF submitted more than 70 names of brigade and battalion commanders for positions within the army and security institutions, clarifying that the ten names recently presented to Damascus are for deputy ministerial posts and positions within the Ministries of Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Internal Security.
He emphasized that the nominations are still pending final approval by the Syrian government.
Fighting broke out between the Syrian government and the SDF in Aleppo last month after the breakdown of a March 2025 agreement which stipulated the integration of SDF forces and institutions into the Syrian state.
Syrian government forces made rapid advances against the SDF, capturing most of the areas in northeast Syria once held by the group, with the SDF retreating to its strongholds around Qamishli, Hasakeh, and Kobane (also known as Ain Al-Arab).
However, a new ceasefire has been negotiated between the Syrian government and the SDF, and the Kurdish-led group has agreed once again to integrate into the government.
The source indicated that the Syrian government in addition to Nour al-Din Ahmed, approved the nomination of SDF officials Redor Khalil as deputy to the Ministry of Interior, as well as Siamand Afrin as deputy director of security in Hasakeh province.
On the other hand, a source in the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that a governor is formally appointed only after a thorough security assessment is conducted, followed by the issuance of a presidential decree appointing him.
The source noted that all SDF nominations are subject to security reviews before any final decision or public announcement is made.
According to North Press Agency, which is close to the SDF, Nour al-Din Ahmad was born in Qamishli in 1969 and holds a degree from the Faculty of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at Damascus University.
He worked as an engineer in the Directorate Communications in Hasakeh and Qamishli from 1993 until 2012, when former dictators Hafez and Bashar al-Assad were in power.
After being dismissed from his job in 2012, Ahmed - who told North Press that the Syrian government had approved his nomination as governor of Al-Hasakah - worked with the SDF-affiliated Democratic Autonomous Administration of Northeastern Syria (DAANES).
In 2014, he served as head of public relations for the SDF and has been a member of its General Command since the beginning of this year.