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The Kurdish-led militia that controls northeast Syria agreed on Monday to merge with the country\u2019s new government, marking a major breakthrough for Damascus in its efforts to unify a country wrestling with violent turmoil<\/a>.<\/p>\n The agreement, announced by the office of Syria\u2019s presidency and signed by both parties, stipulated that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces would integrate \u201call civil and military institutions\u201d into the new Syrian state by the end of the year, including its prized oil and gas fields.<\/p>\n The deal also outlined \u201cthe rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process,” amid repeated pledges by Syria\u2019s new leadership to form an inclusive government after years of sectarian strife.<\/p>\n The timing of the agreement, which came amid violent clashes in Syria\u2019s coastal region<\/a> that have left more than 1,300 people dead, signaled a moment of reprieve for Syria\u2019s new interim president, Ahmed al-Shara<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Since the rebel coalition headed by Mr. al-Shara toppled the dictator Bashar al-Assad in December, the new government has sought to unify the complex web of rebel groups operating across Syria \u2014 the most powerful of them being the Kurdish-led forces in the northeast. However, the security situation has remained unstable, and the Kurdish militia has been among the most challenging groups to bring under the new government\u2019s fold<\/a>.<\/p>\n Syria\u2019s new government has ordered all armed groups in the country to dissolve, and in recent weeks, several prominent militias have agreed to work with the new authorities, despite their skepticism about sweeping promises to create an inclusive government<\/a>. As a rebel leader, Mr. al-Shara commanded an armed group once allied with Al Qaeda, and skeptics question whether he has given up its former hard-line jihadist views<\/a>.<\/p>\n It remains unclear whether those militias have dissolved as directed and fully integrated into a single national army under Mr. al-Shara\u2019s authority, or if they have simply agreed to cooperate with Mr. al-Shara\u2019s government but remain as semi-independent forces in regions they effectively control.<\/p>\n For years, the Kurdish-led militia has been the main U.S. partner in the fight in Syria against the Islamic State, and made hard-fought territorial gains amid the country\u2019s civil war, to the extent that it now administers a de facto state in Syria\u2019s northeast. The group has long sought to position itself as the protectors of Syrian Kurds, who make up about 10 percent of the country\u2019s population.<\/p>\n Despite the breakthrough on Monday, there were some questions that were left unanswered.<\/p>\n For one, it remained unclear whether the S.D.F. would be allowed to operate as a distinct military bloc within Syria\u2019s armed forces, a key demand in recent months by the Kurdish-led administration. It was also unclear how exactly the call for \u201ca cease-fire on all Syrian territories\u201d would be carried out as stipulated in the agreement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n