In this photo provided by the Turkish Presidency, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presents the "Benevolence and Kindness" award to former Syrian Army fighter pilot Ragheed Ahmad al-Tatari, right, in Ankara, Turkey, Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Turkish Presidency via AP)

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s top diplomat, defense minister and intelligence chief paid a sudden visit to Damascus on Thursday, days after Syria’s interim government reached a deal to integrate a U.S backed Kurdish-led armed group into the country’s army.

The agreement to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, into the Syrian government followed fierce clashes that erupted last week between government security forces and gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad.

Monitoring groups said hundreds of civilians were killed in the violence in Syria’s coastal communities, primarily targeting members of the Alawite religious minority to which Assad belongs.

Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president and a former rebel, met with Hakan Fidan, Turkey’s foreign minister; Yasar Guler, defense minister, and Ibrahim Kalin, head of national intelligence. They were accompanied by Turkey’s ambassador to Syria, Burhan Koroglu.

According to local news agency DHA, an official from the Turkish Defense Ministry, speaking on the customary condition of anonymity, said earlier Thursday that Ankara intends to examine “how the agreement reached will be implemented and its reflections on the field.”

The official added that Turkey’s expectations on Syria have not changed.

“There is no change in our expectations for the termination of terrorist activities in Syria, the disarmament of terrorists and the expulsion of foreign terrorists from Syria,” the official said.

Turkey designates the SDF and its military arm, People’s Protection Units, as terrorist organizations because of their links to the banned Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

As the Turkish delegation was flying unannounced to Damascus, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan presented awards for “benevolence and kindness” to a former Syrian fighter pilot imprisoned for 43 years.

The ceremony, hosted by a foundation linked to Turkey’s religious authority, honored Ragheed al-Tatari. Erdogan praised al-Tatari for his perseverance and gave him an award for his “benevolence."

Al-Tatari was imprisoned under the rule of Syrian presidents Hafez al-Assad and later Bashar al-Assad. He had been detained since 1981. There are conflicting accounts for his imprisonment including refusing to bomb the city of Hama and failing to report a pilot desertion attempt.

Over four decades, al-Tatari was moved among prisons notorious for housing political inmates, including Palmyra prison and Sednaya. His imprisonment, described by human rights groups as one of the longest in Syria for a political prisoner, ended in December when opposition forces freed him.

In a speech on stage, Erdogan lauded al-Tatari, calling him “the brave Syrian pilot who listened to his conscience."

News from © The Associated Press, 2025