Turkey’s top diplomat, defense minister and intelligence chief paid a sudden visit to Damascus. The visit Thursday comes days after Syria’s interim government reached a deal to integrate a U.S backed Kurdish-led armed group,

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

The scenes of elation following Monday night's declaration came in sharp contrast to the grim scenes in coastal communities wracked by days of clashes.

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.