US Congress warns of potential genocide in Syria, calls for protection of Kurds

The US House of Representatives’ Committee on Foreign Affairs is currently holding an official, open hearing today to discuss Syria’s future and US policy in the post–Bashar al-Assad phase.

During the session, Nadine Maenza, former chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom, warned of the risk of a new genocide occurring in Syria over the next four years if a fundamental change is not introduced in the policies pursued by the country’s new authorities.

In testimony before the US Congress, Maenza issued a stark warning, citing what she described as “horrific evidence” of beheadings and torture of Kurdish fighters committed by forces that have recently been integrated into Syria’s official security structure.

Maenza called for the passage of a “Save the Kurds Act,” stressing that any US engagement or normalization with Damascus must be conditioned on guarantees to protect Kurdish-majority areas. She also warned that the pluralistic model built by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is under direct threat, amid the rise of “Islamist” elements to leadership positions within the institutions of Syria’s new state.

She added that the 30 January agreement between the SDF and the government in Damascus can only be assessed based on its actual implementation on the ground, noting that limiting Kurdish participation to symbolic representation, while promoting individuals accused of war crimes and subject to international sanctions to senior positions renders promises of equal citizenship fraught with real existential risks for the Kurds.

Fears of Excessive Centralization and Cosmetic Reforms

For his part, Andrew Tabler, a researcher at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said during his testimony on Syria’s transitional phase that the governance model in Damascus remains highly centralized and deals with societal components in a superficial manner that does not reflect genuine power-sharing.

Tabler explained that despite the agreement reached between the SDF and Damascus, the exclusion of Kurdish actors from the national dialogue process would undermine the legitimacy of the new system in northeastern Syria. He warned the House Foreign Affairs Committee that the integration of security institutions appears closer to a “re-hoisting of the flag” than to real institutional reform.

He pointed out that many “militias,” including Turkish-backed factions, continue to maintain independent chains of command, leaving Kurdish-majority areas in a state of ambiguity and fragmented sovereignty.

Tabler added that the United States is pursuing a “good cop with selective use of the bad cop” approach in dealing with the al-Shara'a government in Damascus, arguing that the real test lies in Washington’s willingness to reimpose sanctions if necessary to protect the SDF and Kurdish civilians from recent military movements.

A US Moral Obligation

Former US Ambassador to Syria James Jeffrey, in turn, affirmed that the United States has a “moral obligation” to ensure that its Kurdish allies are not subjected to mistreatment by Syria’s new government. He stressed that as implementation of the 30 January SDF integration agreement moves forward, Washington must remain an effective guarantor of Kurdish rights.

In a candid assessment, Jeffrey reminded Congress that the relationship between the United States and the SDF had always been “temporary, tactical, and transactional,” noting that the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime shifted the equation in a more positive direction. However, he questioned how Washington would balance its emerging partnership with Damascus against the requirements of Kurdish Autonomous Administration.

He argued that integrating the SDF into a unified Syrian state remains inevitable in the context of counterterrorism, but that the success of the transitional phase depends on the extent to which the al-Sharaa government fulfills its commitments toward the Kurds.

Warnings of Escalating Violence

Meanwhile, Congressman Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, warned of an alarming rise in violence against religious and ethnic communities in Syria, including attacks on places of worship, stating that this threatens any hope of building an inclusive Syrian future after Assad.

Meeks affirmed that the Syrian Democratic Forces remain a key US partner in counterterrorism, emphasizing that the Kurds who showed courage and allied with Washington to defeat ISIS/Daesh are now facing a new wave of violence and uncertainty.

While welcoming the 30 January agreement between Damascus and the SDF, Meeks stressed the need to see practical and tangible commitment from the Syrian leadership to halt violations and protect Kurds and other components.

In the same context, Congressman Brian Mast, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that Syria remains far from meeting US expectations, arguing that recent measures targeting Druze, Kurds, and US allies represent steps in the wrong direction.

Mast explained that any easing or lifting of sanctions under the Caesar Act was explicitly conditioned on the protection of societal components, the implementation of genuine military reforms, and cooperation with the United States on counterterrorism.

A Fundamental Dispute over the Shape of the State

Dr. Mara Karlin, Professor of Practice at Johns Hopkins University and a Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, said that the government in Damascus is pursuing a highly centralized “unified Syria” model, while the Syrian Democratic Forces favor a decentralized system of governance.

She added: “For the Kurds, genuine integration into the Syrian state requires a real sense of security and confidence that they have a political and cultural future within this entity.”

Karlin noted that recognition of the Kurdish language as a national language would be an important indicator of the direction Syria may take in the future. However, she stressed that the United States and the international community must direct incentives to both sides to prevent the outbreak of a new wave of violence, warning that Kurdish security should not be sacrificed for rapid, superficial solutions under the banner of “unity.”

ANHA