Media in Lebanon, Syria, and also northern Iraq have reported that US Envoy Tom Barrack may return to Syria soon for a new round of meetings with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
This would be the second meeting between the Syrian president and SDF leader Mazloum Abdi since they met in March.
Rumors have swirled about this meeting this week, with claims on social media that Abdi had arrived in Damascus and that US forces had helped bring him to Damascus. The US has backed the SDF against Islamic State (ISIS) since 2015.
“Trump’s Syria envoy Tom Barrack will meet SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian official Ahmed al-Sharaa to discuss implementing the March 10 deal unifying SDF and Damascus institutions. Some clauses may be amended,” eastern Syria channel Kurdistan24 noted.
“France backs the agreement, per Syria TV,” the report said.
Location of the meetings has not yet been disclosed
It noted that “a source has disclosed that the US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for Syria, Tom Barrack, is scheduled to meet with Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces commander Mazloum Abdi as part of the implementation process of the March 10, 2025 agreement between the SDF and Damascus. The revelation, first reported by Syria TV, suggests that some clauses of the agreement may be subject to amendments.”
The report said that Barrack would hold this meeting soon. He has recently been in Lebanon, where discussions focused on Hezbollah.
“The precise location of the meetings has not yet been disclosed,” the report said. Sharaa went to the UAE in June. At the time there were rumors he had also met an Israeli official while there. This is part of the rumor mill that appears to be attracted to everything happening in Syria.
Kurdistan24 noted that a new round of talks between the SDF and Damascus will “center on enforcing the key provisions of the March 10 agreement, which aims to unify all civilian and military institutions of the Autonomous Administration with those of the Syrian government. These include critical infrastructures such as border crossings, airports, and oil and gas fields.”
Al-Akhbar in Lebanon, a media outlet that is generally pro-Iran, also discussed the apparent upcoming meeting. It said the SDF will ask for some changes to the March agreement.
Under that agreement, eastern Syria and the SDF are supposed to integrate with Damascus and its armed forces. The Akhbar report also noted that France will play a role.