The announcement by Mazloum Abdi, commander of the group formerly known as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dissolving the force and merging it fully into Syrian state institutions caps months of negotiations conducted away from cameras and headlines.
اضافة اعلان
Speaking at a press conference at the People's Palace in Damascus following a meeting with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Abdi said: "We announce the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces and their dissolution as an independent military force." He added that al-Sharaa "Affirmed the right to Kurdish-language education and showed an open position on the right to education in one's mother tongue."
Relations between the Syrian government and the SDF evolved through several stages after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in December 2024, culminating in this week's announcement that the merger process had been completed.
The initial framework agreement
Al-Sharaa and Abdi signed a ceasefire and integration agreement on March 10, 2025, that pledged to guarantee "the rights of all Syrians to representation and participation in the political process and all state institutions based on competence, regardless of religious or ethnic background." The agreement also affirmed that "the Kurdish community is an integral part of the Syrian state" and that the state would guarantee its citizenship rights and full constitutional rights.
Under that deal, the two sides agreed to a nationwide ceasefire and to merge all civilian and military institutions in northeastern Syria, including border crossings, the airport, and oil and gas fields, into the structure of the Syrian state.
The agreement also called for the return of displaced Syrians to their towns and villages under state protection, and tasked implementation committees with completing the process by the end of 2025.
Fighting resumes, from Aleppo to Hasakah
The Syrian army carried out a security operation in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in early 2026, in response to what it described as an escalation by SDF-affiliated units, including attacks on civilians in the two districts.
The operation expanded from Aleppo into the eastern countryside, then into areas west of the Euphrates, Raqqa, and eventually the strategic oil fields of Deir ez-Zor. The Syrian army's operations command announced on January 18, 2026 that it had taken full control of the strategic city of Tabqa and its military airport on the Euphrates.
Government forces continued their advance into Deir ez-Zor province, entering oil facilities the SDF had withdrawn from, while local tribes announced they had taken control of the Markada district in southern Hasakah.
Citizenship and cultural rights
On January 16, al-Sharaa issued Decree 13, committing the state to protecting cultural and linguistic diversity and guaranteeing Kurdish citizens' right to preserve their heritage and arts and develop their native language within the framework of national sovereignty.
The decree designates Kurdish as a national language and permits it to be taught in public and private schools in areas with a significant Kurdish population, either as an elective subject or through cultural and educational activities.
It also revokes all exceptional laws and measures tied to the 1962 census in Hasakah province and grants Syrian citizenship to all residents of Kurdish origin, including those previously registered as "maktumeen" (undocumented), with full equality in rights and obligations. The decree further designates Nowruz, celebrated on March 21 each year, as a paid national holiday across Syria.
Handover of oil fields and border crossings
On January 18, 2026, al-Sharaa signed a ceasefire and full-integration agreement with the SDF following a rapid escalation of military and security developments in the region. Its provisions included merging all civilian institutions in Hasakah province into state structures, and a commitment by the SDF to hand Damascus the names of former regime officers based in northeastern Syria.
The agreement also called for the immediate administrative and military handover of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor provinces to the Syrian government, and the withdrawal of SDF forces east of the Euphrates ahead of redeployment.
It included an immediate, comprehensive ceasefire on all fronts and contact lines, the individual integration of SDF personnel into the defense and interior ministries, and a commitment by the SDF to expel non-Syrian leaders and members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) from the country.
Under the deal, the government took control of all border crossings and oil fields in Hasakah, and a presidential decree named a candidate for governor of Hasakah to guarantee local representation, while SDF-nominated candidates were appointed to senior military, security, and civilian posts within state structures.
The agreement also stated that the Syrian government assumes full legal and security responsibility for ISIS prisons and committed the state to continuing counterterrorism efforts as a member of the international coalition, in coordination with Washington.
The final agreement
This was the third such agreement, following the government's rapid takeover of large areas of northern and northeastern Syria in a matter of days. It called for a comprehensive ceasefire, the withdrawal of military forces from contact lines, and the absence of Syrian army and defense ministry forces from Hasakah and Qamishli provinces, with Syrian security forces managing the security file there in coordination with the SDF.
The agreement also provided for the formation of a military division made up of three SDF brigades plus one brigade from the Ain al-Arab (Kobani) forces, to be integrated as complete military units into the structure of the Syrian army.
It further included merging the institutions of the "Self-Administration" into Syrian state institutions while retaining civilian staff, alongside a settlement of civil and educational rights for the Kurdish community based on Presidential Decree 13.
SDF formally dissolved
At the press conference in the People's Palace, Abdi said: "Today we stand at a historic moment in which we close an important chapter in Syria's history and begin a new one titled peace, stability, and rebuilding," adding that "circumstances have changed today, and the country has entered a new phase titled peace and the building of the new Syria."
He added: "We want this day to mark the start of a real transition from the battlefield to the construction site, from the era of weapons to the era of peace."
Background on the SDF
The Syrian Democratic Forces emerged in northeastern Syria in October 2015 from a coalition of military factions dominated by Kurdish fighters. Many rights groups accused the force of human rights violations.
The SDF received direct support from the United States, which relied on it in the war against ISIS, while it also maintained a relationship of mutual interest with the former Assad government during the Syrian uprising and controlled large areas of the Jazira region.
