The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have dissolved and announced that their forces will merge with Syria’s military, giving Damascus a major step towards asserting sole authority across the country. But the announcement has not settled how fighters will be commanded, deployed or integrated.
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, also known as Mazloum Kobani, said in Damascus that an “important page” had been turned and described the move as a transition from battlefields to construction and from weapons to peace.
Why the balance shifted
The SDF emerged in 2015 and has been based in northeastern Syria, where much of the country’s historically marginalised Kurdish population lives. It had previously resisted surrendering the autonomy gained during the war and had held strong reservations about coming under the Defence Ministry.
A government-led offensive into northeastern Syria in January, combined with close relations between Damascus and the United States, the SDF’s main backer, changed the group’s position. Rob Geist Pinfold of King’s College London said the SDF had lost leverage after the United States signalled that it no longer had protected status.
What we know now
- SDF fighters are being incorporated into the Syrian army under the Defence Ministry.
- The Asayish and other local security bodies are being integrated into the Interior Ministry.
- Civilian institutions and employees are being transferred to relevant ministries.
- The proposed role of the Women Protection Units, or YPJ, has not been finally decided.
Integration is not the same as unity
Navvar Saban of the Arab Center for Contemporary Syrian Studies said the merger could allow the state to work towards one military command and unified control over borders, airports and strategic resources. He cautioned, however, that an announcement alone would not create inclusive institutions or a single effective chain of command.
Saban said the formal merger had been completed, but building a shared military culture and command structure would take longer. Alexander McKeever, author of a newsletter on northern Syria, said disagreements remained over which fighters would join government forces, where they would serve and whether they would report directly to Damascus or to local commanders. For additional context, see “Syria’s former grand mufti awaits verdict in Damascus trial”.
Kurdish concerns and the YPJ question
Kurdish communities are expected to approach the change more cautiously than many Arab communities because of recent war and mistrust of the government. Saban said Kurdish communities want guarantees on language, education, political representation and local security.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa has repeatedly pledged constitutional protection for Kurdish language and political rights while insisting on integration into the Syrian state. The status of the YPJ, the SDF’s Women Protection Units, remains unsettled: the Syrian government proposed integration into the Interior Ministry rather than the Defence Ministry, while the YPJ suggested joining as a specialised counterterrorism unit.
What happens next
The unresolved integration questions are which fighters will join government forces, where they will be deployed, what roles they will hold and how the YPJ will be organised; no final decision on the YPJ’s placement has been announced.
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