ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A senior delegation from the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) arrived in Damascus on Wednesday and met with Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra to discuss the group’s integration into the Syrian army.

Media affiliated with the Kurdish-led Rojava (northeast Syria) administration, citing military sources, said that “the main topic of the meeting was the form of the YPJ’s participation in the army.”

A statement regarding the meeting is expected to be made soon.

The delegation includes YPJ leader Rohilat Afrin, as well as Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Command member Suzdar Haji, a source told the Rojava-based North Press Agency (NPA).

The Kurdish-led SDF, as well as the internal security forces (Asayish), are expected to integrate into the Syrian state apparatus under a January 29 ceasefire and integration agreement.

However, the status of the YPJ, a core SDF component, has been a source of dispute due to the clashing ideological principles between Damasus and the Kurdish-led Rojava administration.

While Syria’s current leadership harbors Islamist roots, rising to power after Islamist rebel groups, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled the Baathist regime, the Rojava administration is built on feminist and secular principles that prioritize women’s participation, including its defense institutions.

Syrian authorities have displayed reluctance in allowing YPJ fighters, numbering around 20,000, to incorporate into the military and security apparatus. On the other hand, Kurdish officials have rejected any proposal to disband the group.

YPJ Spokesperson Ruksen Mohamed, in a speech on Wednesday, said “we will ensure the presence of women in Syria with the identity of the YPJ,” highlighting the “long history” achieved by the group and its “fundamental” role in the SDF.