Sipan Hemo, a senior commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has been appointed Deputy Minister of Defense responsible for Syria’s Eastern Region, according to reports from Damascus.
The appointment was announced by Asim Ghalioun, head of the Syrian Defense Ministry’s Media and Communication Directorate, and confirmed by Hemo himself. He is expected to begin his duties soon.
The eastern region—often referred to as Jazira—includes territories east of the Euphrates River such as parts of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and the predominantly Kurdish Hasaka province.
Hemo’s appointment comes weeks after a ceasefire and political agreement reached on January 29 between the SDF and the transitional government in Damascus. The agreement followed weeks of fighting during a government offensive to regain territories previously controlled by the SDF in northern and northeastern Syria.
Under the deal, military and administrative structures of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria will gradually integrate into Syrian state institutions. The agreement also stipulates that SDF forces will be incorporated into the Syrian army through the creation of three brigades under a new military division in Hasaka province.
Several administrative appointments have already been made under the framework of the deal, including the nomination of Nureddin Isa Ahmed as governor of Hasaka.
Hemo’s new role is widely seen as a key step in implementing the integration process between the SDF and the Syrian government.
About Sipan Hemo
Sipan Hemo is a prominent Kurdish military commander and one of the founding leaders of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), the main military component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Born in 1973 in Afrin in northern Syria, he was involved in Kurdish political activism and was detained several times by the Syrian Baʿathist regime. Following the outbreak of the Syrian conflict and the emergence of Kurdish self-administration in 2012, he became a key commander of the YPG. Hemo has played an important role in military operations in northern Syria and has also participated in political and security discussions involving the SDF and the Syrian government.
