Damascus, Aug. 28 (SANA) The process of integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian state moved over 17 months from a political agreement to gradual implementation on the ground, culminating in an Aug. 25, 2026, announcement by Mazloum Abdi that the SDF’s mission had ended and that it had been dissolved as an independent military force.
The process unfolded through five main stages, covering political understandings, legal measures concerning Kurdish citizens, security and military arrangements, the restoration of state institutions and services, and the final integration of SDF forces into the Syrian army.
March–December 2025: From roadmap agreement to implementation challenges
The process began on March 10, 2025, when President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi signed an agreement providing for the integration of civilian and military institutions in northeastern Syria into the Syrian state administration, a cease-fire, and guarantees for the rights of the Kurdish community as an integral part of Syria’s national fabric.
The agreement also affirmed Syria’s territorial unity and rejected calls for partition. It provided for the state to assume control of border crossings, the airport and oil and gas fields, with executive committees tasked with implementing its provisions by the end of 2025.
On April 16, 2025, the central committee appointed by the Syrian presidency to oversee implementation entered Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods to follow up on the understandings and discuss the next steps.
On April 27, the Presidency said the understanding represented a step toward de-escalation and a comprehensive national solution, stressing that establishing a separate reality or calling for federalism was inconsistent with the agreement and Syria’s unity.
On June 1, the government committee tasked with completing the agreement held a meeting and agreed to form specialized subcommittees to oversee implementation and address issues including examinations and examination centers.
As differences over implementation mechanisms continued, another effort was made to consolidate the cease-fire in the fall of 2025. On Oct. 7, Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Murhaf Abu Qasra met with Abdi, and the two sides reached a comprehensive cease-fire across all fronts and military deployment points in northern and northeastern Syria, alongside a cease-fire in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh.
As the deadline set by the March 10 agreement approached, differences remained over the form and chain of command of the integration. Damascus maintained that the agreement called for the integration of forces and institutions into the Syrian state rather than maintaining a separate military or administrative entity.
On Dec. 22, fighting escalated in Aleppo, with the Syrian government accusing the SDF of violating previous agreements. On Dec. 26, the SDF targeted a checkpoint belonging to the Internal Security Forces at Shihan roundabout in northern Aleppo. With the beginning of 2026, the integration process entered a more decisive phase.
January 2026: Legal measures accompany the integration process
On Jan. 16, 2026, citizenship and cultural rights for Syrian Kurds were addressed through the issuance of President al-Sharaa’s Decree No. 13 of 2026 concerning Syrian Kurdish citizens, providing a legal basis for the integration process.
On Jan. 26, the Ministry of Education issued implementing instructions for the decree in the educational and cultural fields. On Jan. 28, the Ministry of Interior directed the preparation of implementing instructions for granting citizenship and simplifying procedures for Kurdish citizens.
The Ministry of Interior issued the necessary implementing instructions on Feb. 20. On June 28, the General Directorate of Civil Affairs began the second phase of implementation by conducting administrative and legal interviews with applicants seeking citizenship.
January 2026: Integration moves into an implementation framework
On Jan. 18, President al-Sharaa signed a cease-fire and full-integration agreement providing for the individual integration of SDF military and security personnel into the ministries of Defense and Interior, as well as for the state to assume control of border crossings, oil and gas fields and civilian institutions.
On Jan. 20, the Presidency announced understandings concerning the future of Hasakah province and mechanisms for integration. The Ministry of Defense subsequently announced a four-day cease-fire and extended it on Jan. 24 for another 15 days.
Jan. 29–June 2026: Implementation expands on the ground
On Jan. 29, the process entered a more detailed operational phase with a comprehensive agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF on a cease-fire and the deployment of Internal Security Forces in the centers of Hasakah and Qamishli.
On Feb. 2, Internal Security Forces entered Hasakah under the agreement. Security convoys also moved toward other areas, while the Ministry of Interior began taking over security buildings in Qamishli on Feb. 3 in preparation for deployment and the restoration of security.
On Feb. 6, the Ministry of Defense conducted a field tour in Hasakah to establish deployment points and follow up on the integration of personnel into the military institution.
On Feb. 8, a Ministry of Interior delegation inspected Qamishli airport in preparation for its handover and reopening, as part of efforts to reconnect the area with the national aviation system.
On Feb. 21, Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh was appointed presidential envoy to follow up on implementation of the Jan. 29 agreement, strengthen the state’s presence and address obstacles to implementation.
On March 2, al-Ayesh and Abdi discussed mechanisms for integrating military and security institutions. Al-Ayesh said three military brigades would be integrated into the 60th Division, alongside work to release 60 detainees against whom no charges or links to criminal activity had been established.
During March and April, discussions expanded to humanitarian and civilian files. On March 18, al-Ayesh and Abdi discussed the release of a second group of detainees and continued SDF integration into state institutions. The following day, a number of detainees and prisoners were released as part of efforts to address the detainee file under the agreement.
On April 4, talks expanded to the handover of prisons to the state and facilitating the return of displaced people.
During May and June, releases and status regularization for SDF personnel continued alongside efforts to complete military and security integration.
On June 13, the Syrian Petroleum Company began supplying fuel to stations in Hasakah under a joint plan, signaling the gradual transfer of services and resource-related files to state institutions.
August 2026: From implementation to the end of the SDF as an independent force
On Aug. 21, Ahmad al-Hilali, spokesperson for the presidential team overseeing implementation of the Jan. 29 agreement, said Abdi’s statements on the completion of the military, security and administrative integration process represented a clear transition from understandings to the actual implementation of integration into Syrian state institutions.
On Aug. 25, 2026, the decisive stage came after 17 months and 15 days from the signing of the March 10, 2025, agreement. During a news conference at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Abdi announced the official end of the SDF’s mission and its dissolution as an independent military force following the completion of the integration of its forces into Syrian army brigades.
On the same day, President al-Sharaa received Abdi and his accompanying delegation at the People’s Palace in Damascus to discuss integration-related files and steps for the next phase.
From agreement to integration
The Aug. 25 announcement brought a 17-month process to its latest stage, following a series of agreements and implementation measures that moved the integration file from a political understanding to military, security and administrative implementation within the Syrian state.
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