The Syrian Transitional Government has reached a rather unexpected agreement with the Kurdish armed groups of the Arab Republic regarding their integration into state institutions. This happened as part of efforts to unite the country's various communities after a decade of civil war and amid clashes between government forces and Syrian

By Timour Azhari, Phil Stewart, Jonathan Spicer and Suleiman Al-Khalidi DAMASCUS (Reuters) - The United States encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday's landmark deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus,

Syrians from around the country celebrated an agreement signed by interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa with the Syrian Democratic Forces to join new state institutions. The accord comes at a critical moment as Sharaa grapples with the fallout from deadly clashes between Syrian forces and militants loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad.