The deal would allow Kurdish-led forces which hold a quarter of Syria to merge with Damascus, along with regional Kurdish governing bodies.

A ceasefire between Syria's Kurds and the government in Damascus ends hostilities and grants first-time rights to the marginalized minority. Does the deal also mean an end of the Kurdish quest for independence?

The United States encouraged its Syrian Kurdish allies to reach Monday's landmark deal with the Islamist-led government in Damascus, six sources said, an agreement that could stave off further conflict in northern Syria at a time of uncertainty over the future of U.