The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces formally dissolved after completing their merger with Syria's army, commander Mazloum Abdi announced at the presidential palace in Damascus. The decision ended the SDF's independent military role after it had once administered a broad autonomous zone in the northeast.
Abdi said circumstances had changed and Syria had entered a phase centred on peace and participation in rebuilding the country. His announcement followed a government offensive in January that stripped the SDF of most of its remaining territory and led to the integration agreement.
The SDF had been the main US partner in Syria in operations against the Islamic State group. Its political position shifted after former president Bashar Assad was removed in December 2024. Washington developed close relations with the new authorities headed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who had previously led an Islamist insurgent group.
For much of the Assad dynasty's 50-year rule, Syrian Kurds faced official marginalisation. Many were denied citizenship, and public celebrations of Nowruz were prohibited. When government forces withdrew from large areas of northeastern Syria after the 2011 uprising began, Kurdish groups filled the resulting vacuum. At its height, the SDF controlled about 25% of the country.
The post-Assad transition produced caution among Kurdish leaders. They questioned whether the new Sunni Arab-led government would provide meaningful representation and resisted surrendering de facto autonomy. Turkish-backed groups involved in Assad's removal had previously fought the SDF. Turkey also classified the SDF as a terrorist organisation because of its links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, although a peace process is now under way.
During January's ceasefire negotiations, al-Sharaa issued a decree expanding Kurdish rights. It designated Kurdish as an official language alongside Arabic, made Nowruz a national holiday and restored citizenship to tens of thousands of Kurds in Hassakeh province who lost it through the 1962 census. Abdi said the president had also promised Kurdish-language education.
Not every integration issue was settled. The future of the SDF's all-female units remained sensitive because some leaders in Damascus oppose women serving in combat. Even so, the completed merger strengthened al-Sharaa's effort to reunify a country emerging from almost 14 years of civil war.
Most Syrian territory was under central government control by the announcement. Sweida province in the south remained an exception, held by Druze groups hostile to Damascus after sectarian attacks during clashes the previous year. Israel supported those factions and continued occupying land near the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights. The SDF's dissolution therefore marked a major consolidation while leaving other national divisions unresolved.
