US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also the special envoy for Syria, met with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Gen. Mazloum Abdi on Saturday, the US embassy in Syria reported.
They had met “to discuss the current situation in Syria and the need for urgent steps to restore calm and stability,” the embassy said. “They also discussed practical steps toward integration into a unified Syria for a peaceful, prosperous, inclusive, and stable future for all Syrians. They agreed the time for unity is now.”
US pushes for warm relations with Syria
Barrack traveled to Lebanon on Sunday for talks with Lebanese leaders. He has made many trips around the region over the past three months in an effort to advance US President Donald Trump’s policy on Syria.
Trump has pushed for Washington to end sanctions on Syria and engage with President Ahmed al-Sharaa after he met with him in Saudi Arabia in May.
Barrack has been tasked with that important task. He has been under the spotlight for the past two weeks as US policy on Syria continues to face challenges.
First, there is growing concern about Sharaa and his ability to control parts of Syria. The fighting in Sweida and Israel’s intervention and bombing of Damascus have raised eyebrows. Can Sharaa sort things out in Sweida and also not provoke more Israeli attacks?
Another issue facing the US is the integration of the SDF into the new Syrian army. The SDF was initially trained and backed by the US to combat Islamic State. Some US officials have considered this relationship to be tactical, temporary, and transactional.
Generally, the Pentagon, via US Central Command, has been more bullish on the SDF, while the US State Department has preferred only to engage with Damascus. This has made things complex.
Barrack had suggested that the SDF should move faster to integrate with the Syrian security forces before the Sweida clashes. Now, things are less clear. His meeting with Abdi came in this context.
“The ambassador also thanked Gen. Mazloum [Abdi] for his leadership and the SDF’s continued partnership in combating ISIS in Syria,” the US embassy said.
Al-Monitor news site’s headline about the meeting said: “Sweida violence boosts Kurds’ leverage as US Syria envoy, SDF chief meet.”
On Tuesday, Al-Monitor reporter Amberin Zaman posted on X/Twitter: “The July 19 meeting in Amman between US envoy to Syria Tom Barrack and the commander in chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazlum Kobane (Mazloum Abdi), went markedly better than their first face-to-face encounter 10 days earlier in Damascus, with the sectarian violence that’s gripping the majority-Druze province of Sweida temporarily strengthening the Kurds’ hand.”
The region is looking closely at what comes next in Syria. It is also watching Barrack’s next steps and his language.
The US envoy has said the disarmament of Hezbollah is an internal Lebanese government issue, and that the US is trying to use its influence where necessary. There are different readings of his messages.
Beirut-based Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is considered to be pro-Hezbollah, sees Barrack as being stricter in his recent discussions in Beirut. It seems to think he has moved closer to the Israeli view on things.
Others in the region are more critical of Barrack, arguing that his embrace of the new leadership in Damascus was premature. That is not his policy; he is carrying out the White House’s policy.
Barrack has been energetic in accomplishing his task and mission. He is one of the well-known faces of the Trump administration in the region, along with Steve Witkoff, who played a key role in the administration’s early moves relating to Gaza and the Iran talks.
Now, the question is: What will the White House do next? Will it be able to move policy forward on Syria and also on a possible deal in Gaza? That remains to be seen.