They, too, appeared committed to the Aleppo Agreement. After assuming power in Damascus, al-Sharaa has promoted several rebel leaders into positions of power who have been sanctioned by the United States for serious human rights violations. But Kurds were under significant US pressure, and the Syrian Kurdish leadership is pragmatic. The Aleppo Agreement in April was celebrated as a success story by both sides. The Aleppo Agreement was proof that both decentralization and integration could work in practice.