On Syria’s legendary M4 highway, which links strategic northern towns and cities, FRANCE 24’s Wassim Nasr passed bridges destroyed by the war.

The M4 runs almost parallel to Syria’s northern border with Turkey, connecting the country’s commercial capital of Aleppo to the Kurdish-majority areas. It was reopened in March in a bid to improve stability after Syrian government forces clashed with Kurdish fighters following the December 2024 fall of longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad.

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The destination was Kobane, a city that shot into international headlines during the Islamic State (IS) group’s bid to take the city during the war.

Today, more than 5,000 forces from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are still deployed at observation posts dotting the highway.

Nasr was heading to Kobane earlier this month as Syrian government forces were also heading to the northern city to negotiate with local Kurdish security officials.

Once in Kobane, Nasr scored a rare photo-op when he was allowed to report on a meeting between Kurdish Asayish commander Amin Saleh and Majeddin al-Sheikh, head of the Ain al-Arab district, which includes Kobane.

Syria’s new government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa faces many challenges of security integration, institution building and governance in these parts.

Nasr was given a rare opportunity to witness these efforts, interviewing leaders of various Kurdish factions as well as attempts to build communication lines between Kurdish and Arab clans in the region.

>> Click on the video player above to watch Wassim Nasr’s account of integration efforts in Kobane.