Damascus, Aug. 27 (SANA) Over 17 months, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) file moved from a political agreement on integration into the Syrian state to implementation on the ground, culminating on August 25 with Mazloum Abdi announcing the end of the SDF’s mission and its dissolution as an independent military force.
The process unfolded through a series of agreements, ceasefires and field measures that gradually transferred military, security, administrative and civilian responsibilities to Syrian state institutions.
March 2025: The integration roadmap
The process began on March 10, 2025, when President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Abdi signed an agreement providing for the integration of civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria into the Syrian state administration.
The agreement included a ceasefire and guarantees for the rights of the Kurdish community as an integral part of the national fabric, while affirming Syria’s territorial unity and rejecting calls for partition. It also provided for the state to take control of border crossings, the airport and oil and gas fields, with implementation due by the end of 2025.
Implementation began in Aleppo in April, when the central committee tasked by the Syrian Presidency entered the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods to follow up on the agreement. Specialized subcommittees were established in June to advance implementation.
Late 2025: Ceasefire amid implementation difficulties
Differences over the mechanisms and framework for integration persisted into late 2025.
On October 7, Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Abdi agreed to a comprehensive ceasefire across military fronts and deployment points in northern and northeastern Syria, alongside a ceasefire in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.
As the year-end deadline approached, differences remained over the form and chain of command of the integration. Damascus maintained that the agreement provided for integrating the forces and institutions into the Syrian state rather than retaining an independent military or administrative entity.
Tensions escalated again in Aleppo in December, with the Syrian government accusing the SDF of violating the agreements, pushing the integration process into a more decisive phase at the start of 2026.
January 2026: Integration moves into implementation
A parallel legal track took shape on January 16, when citizenship and cultural rights for Kurds were approved and President al-Sharaa issued Decree No. 13 of 2026 concerning Syrian Kurdish citizens. The Education and Interior ministries subsequently issued executive measures to implement the decree.
Two days later, President al-Sharaa signed an agreement on a ceasefire and the full integration of the SDF into state institutions.
The agreement stipulated the individual integration of SDF military and security personnel into the Defense and Interior ministries and the state’s assumption of control over border crossings, oil and gas fields and civilian institutions.
A comprehensive agreement reached on January 29 moved the process into detailed field implementation, including the deployment of Internal Security Forces in central Hasakah and Qamishli.
February-June: Integration on the ground
Internal Security Forces entered Hasakah on February 2, while the Interior Ministry began taking over security buildings in Qamishli the following day. The Defense Ministry also began following up on military integration and deployment, while preparations were made for the state to take over and reopen Qamishli Airport.
Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh was appointed presidential envoy in February to oversee implementation of the January 29 agreement. On March 2, he announced that three military brigades would be integrated into the 60th Division.
The process subsequently expanded to include the release of detainees, the handover of prisons to the state and arrangements for the return of displaced people.
During May and June, the release of SDF members and the settlement of their status continued alongside military and security integration. On June 13, the Syrian Petroleum Company began supplying fuel to stations in Hasakah under a joint plan, marking the gradual transfer of services and resources to state institutions.
August 2026: End of the SDF as an independent force
By August, the process had moved from agreements to actual implementation.
On August 21, Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesman for the presidential team tasked with implementing the January 29 agreement, said Abdi’s statements on the completion of the SDF’s military, security and administrative integration represented a clear transition from understandings to actual integration into Syrian state institutions.
Four days later, Abdi announced during a press conference at the People’s Palace in Damascus the official end of the SDF’s mission and its dissolution as an independent military force after its forces were integrated into Syrian Army brigades.
President al-Sharaa received Abdi and his accompanying delegation at the People’s Palace the same day to discuss integration and steps for the next phase.
The announcement marked the final milestone in a process spanning 17 months and 15 days, during which the SDF file moved from political agreement to military, security and administrative integration within the Syrian state.
R.A/M.F
