The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are celebrating their 10-year anniversary. The group has been backed by the US since 2015, when it was created as a force to lead the battle against ISIS.
Now the SDF faces a crossroads as it prepares to integrate with the Syrian transitional government’s forces in the coming months or year. This is based on a March agreement where the group was supposed to begin the process of integration but has not done so yet.
The SDF is largely Kurdish-led and is the most important anti-ISIS force in Syria. It consists of tens of thousands of trained men and women who have spent a decade fighting ISIS.
The SDF rid Raqqa of ISIS in 2017 and then took control of an area extending to the Euphrates River by 2019, forcing the defeat of ISIS as a fighting force.
Various reports in regional media suggest that things have progressed in terms of possible accommodation between Damascus and the SDF.
SDF leader Mazloum Abdi said on October 11 that the SDF has reached an agreement with Damascus regarding “decentralization,” a key demand of the SDF and the administration of eastern Syria.
The authorities in eastern Syria are wary of a heavy-handed Damascus and don’t want to clash with it as in the past.
“The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, said that verbal coordination had been reached with Damascus to integrate the SDF into the Syrian army, stressing that the withdrawal from Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor was non-negotiable,” a report at Al-Akhbar claimed.
Abdi spoke about the recent visit of US Envoy Tom Barrack to eastern Syria and meetings with US Central Command head Admiral Brad Cooper.
“He added that the Hasakah meeting discussed the Syrian government’s participation in the fight against terrorism and that the United States proposed forming a joint force of SDF and Syrian government forces to fight ISIS.”
Abdi “added that he met privately with Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Intelligence Chief Hussein al-Salama, and that a comprehensive ceasefire between the Syrian army and the SDF was agreed upon. He also noted that it was agreed to continue high-level dialogue with Damascus.”
The SDF hopes the agreement will be incorporated into legislation
Now the SDF hopes the March 10 agreement will be incorporated into legislation. “He confirmed that a verbal agreement has been reached with Damascus regarding the integration of the SDF into the Syrian army.”
Abdi also focused on the importance of two Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo where there were recent clashes.
“He stressed that the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods in Aleppo city are a strategic priority for the SDF, and that the United States and the international coalition are also interested in the two neighborhoods.”
North Press also reported that the SDF may join the new Syrian army. This report, on October 11, is important because it is one of the first positive signs in this direction that hints at wider integration of SDF units and the Syrian transitional government.
In an interview with the Kurdish Ronahi TV, Abdi said, “Washington proposed the creation of a joint force between us and Damascus to fight ISIS, and we have accepted the American proposal.”
He added that the SDF seeks to make the war against ISIS “a comprehensive, nationwide effort.” North Press also said that the US is preparing to continue investing in the group.
It noted that “the United States Senate has approved the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2026 fiscal year, allocating approximately $130 million to support the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) in the country’s south.”