Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday announced the dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces, completing a deal to integrate the US-backed force into Syria’s state institutions.
Speaking in Damascus, Mr Abdi described the move as “mission complete”.
“We declare, from today, the termination of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ mandate and the disbandment of the Syrian Democratic Forces as an autonomous military force, with complete responsibility,” he said.
The move follows last week’s announcement that the Kurdish-led force would be integrated into Syria’s government. The SDF is estimated to have tens of thousands of fighters.
It was formed in 2015 with US backing to fight ISIS in Syria. US support shifted after the collapse of the regime of president Bashar Al Assad in December 2024 and the establishment of a new government under interim President Ahmad Al Shara.
The dissolution follows an agreement signed between the SDF and Mr Al Shara in January, mediated by Washington and Paris and later endorsed by Ankara.
The deal sought to end hostilities between Kurdish forces and the new Syrian government after fighting in which Kurdish forces lost large areas of territory in Syria’s oil-rich north and north-east.
Later that month, Mr Al Shara issued a decree formally recognising Kurdish as a national language that could be taught in schools and guaranteeing Kurdish national rights and cultural freedoms.
Kurds are Syria’s largest minority group, but experts say the dissolution of the SDF represents a significant concession for a community whose long-standing aspirations for self-rule and independence are now likely to be confined largely to the municipal level.
