Syria (MNN) – Continued tensions in Syria this week come on the heels of President Ahmed al-Sharaa declaring the country to be on a new trajectory – one that prizes democracy and will unite military groups into one Syrian army.

Leaders of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is primarily based in the Western part of Iraqi Kurdistan and Southeastern Turkiye, have said they won’t disarm until their leader, currently held in Türkiye, is released. 

Meanwhile, under pressure from both the US and Türkiye, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls the Kurdish region of Northeast Syria, has agreed to disband.  

Samuel, with Redemptive Stories, says details of the deal have yet to crystalize.

“A lot of the agreement that has been articulated so far has been just verbal and will not be enacted and ratified until the new constitution is complete. So it’s very tenuous, but it does seem as though they are stepping forward with disarming the SDF forces,” he says. 

Since his installment in 2025, President al-Sharaa has promised constitutional protections for Kurds. Mazloum Abdi, the former commander‑in‑chief of the SDF, maintains that the military merger will drive Syria’s transition from an era of weapons to an area of peace. Political rivals, as well as many Kurds, are skeptical. 

“This integration is going to occur,” Samuel says. “But as to whether the cultural and linguistics and political rights of the Kurds in the Northeast will still be cared for and guaranteed – we’re not really sure if that will be the case.” 

Syrian army soldiers in a parade in Damascus, showcasing unity and national pride. Above and featured photos courtesy of Baraa Obied via Pexels.

How the integration will affect ministry in Syria is another unknown, as the current government has thus far prioritized economic action over religious legislation. 

“They want Christians to stay, but how they’re going to deal with the church of believers from a Muslim background, I think they’re putting that one on the back burner right now,” Samuel says. 

While the majority of Kurds are Sunni Muslims, the SDF has historically been open to the establishment of churches from believers of a Muslim background. With political change on the horizon, the rights of these Kurdish believers are not yet guaranteed. 

“God is working among that people, and we are praying that this would not stifle some of that growth,” Samuel says. 

He hopes that even as the SDF dissolves, established Kurdish churches will hold onto their existing rights established by local authorities. 

“The prayer is that they would still be able to meet together, they’d still be able to worship, they’d still be able to marry, bury, and baptize, and that God would protect that religious freedom that they currently have,” he says. 

Please pray that the church in Syria would stay strong. Pray for open doors and unity across people groups and denominations there. 

“And then ultimately,” Samuel asks, “that our brothers and sisters there would be lights in their community through the midst of this political chaos, that many others might learn and hear and experience the Gospel.”