Overview
- The Feb. 13 meeting at the Munich Security Conference brought together US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani and SDF commander Mazloum Kobane.
- SDF and Syrian statements said discussions covered integrating Kurdish-led forces, protections for Kurds and Druze, and continued cooperation against ISIS.
- Syrian state media said Washington reaffirmed support for the integration agreement and Syria’s anti‑ISIS efforts, a characterization not independently detailed in US readouts.
- The talks followed a Jan. 30 ceasefire that included plans to fold SDF fighters into the national military after government advances in the northeast.
- On the ground, the UN estimates about 160,000 people remain displaced as Kobani stays encircled despite partial utility restoration, with reports of a Syrian pullback near Al-Hasakah and US forces leaving Al Tanf as Iraq begins processing ISIS detainees transferred from Syria.