Mazloum Abdi, leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced at a press conference in Damascus that the group would cease to exist as an independent military force and be fully integrated into Syria’s state institutions. He described the decision as a transition from combat to reconstruction and from the age of weapons to an era of peace. According to Abdi, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa also expressed readiness to guarantee Kurds the right to study in their native language.
The announcement came after Abdi met with al-Sharaa at the People’s Palace in the presence of government representatives and officials from the Kurdish autonomous administration. The sides discussed practical steps toward unification and the further strengthening of state control, security, and stability. Thus, after roughly a year and a half of negotiations, the SDF and the autonomous administration linked to it are ceasing to exist as separate structures.
The integration provides for the dissolution of the SDF’s military system and the transfer of the internal security forces known as the Asayish to Syria’s Interior Ministry. Civil servants working in education, the oil and gas sector, dam management, and other institutions will move into state agencies. The completion of the military brigades’ integration has already been announced, while the transfer of areas including education, migration, passport issuance, civil registration, and real estate management will continue in the coming days. However, no official decision has yet been made on the possible appointment of Abdi to a government position.
The practical implementation of the agreement began before the official announcement: the Syrian army and security forces were deployed in some areas of Hasakah, Qamishli, eastern Deir ez-Zor, and later in Raqqa and the Kurdish districts of Aleppo—Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. Some SDF fighters underwent training in Damascus and other parts of the country, after which some received ranks and positions in the Syrian army. The SDF also handed over to the state oil and gas fields, dams, strategic facilities, and data on Islamic State militants (the organization is banned in Russia), who were transferred to Iraqi authorities with the assistance of US forces.
US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack called the agreement a “historic event” leading to the creation of “one army, one government, and one state,” with no winners or losers. He said the unification would turn the previous division into a long-term partnership. The decision is based on agreements reached after clashes between the sides, including the January 29, 2026, agreement on a ceasefire, integration, and the return of displaced people. The SDF was created in 2015 with US support to fight the Islamic State and brought together Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian, and Turkmen formations. After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, the conflict and negotiations continued until Damascus regained a significant portion of the territory during an operation in early 2026. Against this backdrop, the Syrian authorities pledged to protect Kurdish rights and recognized their cultural and linguistic identity as part of the country’s national identity.
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How will the status of the Kurdish autonomous administration change after education, civil registration, passports, and real estate management are transferred to Syria’s central state authorities? — It will likely lose a significant share of its de facto administrative powers and be transformed from a quasi-state structure into a local government body within the Syrian state. The extent to which the Kurds’ cultural and political rights are preserved will depend on the details of the agreement and how it is implemented in practice.
How will the integration of SDF fighters and Asayish forces into the Syrian army and Interior Ministry be organized, given the differences in their structure, training, and former chains of command? — A phased process is most likely: registering personnel, conducting background checks, assessing training, and assigning personnel to separate army and police units. Key unresolved issues will include preserving former chains of command, determining the status of local security forces, standardizing weapons, and placing all forces under unified state leadership.
What role will the United States, which previously supported the SDF, retain in implementing the agreement, and how will it affect Damascus’s relations with Turkey and Iraq? — The United States will likely retain diplomatic influence and seek security guarantees for the Kurdish population and its former partners, although its direct military presence may be reduced. For Damascus, the agreement could improve relations with Turkey if it limits autonomous military structures along the Turkish border, but Ankara will monitor whether the SDF retains independent military capabilities. Iraq will likely support stronger Damascus control over the border, as this could reduce the cross-border activity of armed groups and smuggling.
Full version: مظلوم عبدي يعلن حل قوات قسد واندماجها في مؤسسات الدولة