The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led coalition that served as a primary partner for the United States in the campaign against ISIL, has officially dissolved. In a televised address from the presidential palace in Damascus on Tuesday evening, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi confirmed that the group has completed its integration into the Syrian national army, marking the end of its tenure as an independent military force.
This transition follows a significant shift in the regional landscape. After the ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the United States established a close partnership with the new administration led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The SDF, which previously maintained a de facto autonomous zone in northeastern Syria, saw its territorial control diminish following a government offensive in January, leading to the eventual merger agreement.
Describing the move as a historic turning point, Abdi stated that the mission is to shift from the battlefield to national reconstruction. “We announce today the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces and declare, with full responsibility, their dissolution as an independent military force,” he said. He emphasized a vision for a unified Syria that protects all its diverse communities, including Kurds, Arabs, Turkmen, and Assyrians.
A key component of the political arrangement involves cultural recognition. Abdi noted that President al-Sharaa has formally acknowledged the right to education in the Kurdish language, with plans to implement this policy within the current year. “We want this day to be the beginning of a true transition from the battlefields to the fields of construction and from the era of weapons to the era of peace,” Abdi added.
The dissolution occurred just one day after the United States removed Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, a move that lifts long-standing economic sanctions and signals deepening diplomatic ties. Interim President al-Sharaa welcomed the development, characterizing it as a departure from a painful past toward a future of national development and stability.
Tom Barrack, the United States Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy for Syria and Iraq, praised the integration process. He credited President Trump’s leadership for facilitating the orderly transition of the SDF into state institutions. In a statement posted on X, Barrack noted that recognizing the Kurdish language and securing government roles for leaders like Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed serves to honor their contributions to regional stability and ensures that past divisions are replaced by a shared national purpose. The report also notes that saying, “Syria shakes off a dark stain and tears away a painful chapter of its past to embark on a path of development, reconstruction and rebuilding.”, al-Sharaa hailed the move. The report also notes that “Today we stand at a historic moment in which we turn an important page in Syria’s history and begin to open a new page titled peace, stability and reconstruction,” Abdi was quoted as saying by the state news agency, SANA. The report also notes that it marked another step in closer ties between the two countries after the ouster of al-Assad.
Source: Al Jazeera
