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.
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Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces inspect ISIS vehicles that were equipped with explosives, in Al Hol in November 2015. Reuters -
One of three men the SDF claimed were ISIS fighters shows defiance as he is taken prisoner, near Al Shadadi in the Hasakah countryside, in February 2016. Reuters -
SDF fighters carry coffins of comrades killed by ISIS militants in Raqqa, during a funeral in Tal Abiad, Syria, in June 2017. Reuters -
SDF fighters injured by a mortar round fired by ISIS militants wait to be treated in a field hospital in Raqqa, in June 2017. Reuters -
Members of the SDF try to locate an ISIS sniper in Al Senaa, a district of Raqqa, in August 2017. Reuters -
An SDF sniper takes aim during fighting with ISIS in Imru' Al Qais, a district of Raqqa, in August 2017. Reuters -
The SDF with a captured ISIS flag during fighting in Raqqa, in August 2017. Reuters -
Ahmed Abu Kholeh, head of the Deir Ezzor military council which fought under the SDF, speaks at a press conference in the village of Abu Fas, Hasakah province, in September 2017. Reuters -
A member of the SDF comforts his wounded comrade after the latter was shot by a sniper on the eastern frontline of Raqqa, in September 2017. AFP -
A member of the SDF runs for cover during heavy fighting in Raqqa, in October 2017. AFP -
SDF members escort a blindfolded civilian suspected of links to ISIS, in Raqqa, in October 2017. Reuters -
Children play by a blanket of stale bread being dried under the sun at a refugee camp for people displaced by fighting between the SDF and ISIS, in Ain Issa, Syria, in October 2017. Reuters -
A wounded girl fleeing the ISIS holdout of Baghouz stands in a field in February 2019, during an operation by the US-backed SDF to drive out the militants from the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. AFP -
The Kurdish YPG of the SDF coalition taking thousands of ISIS women and children out of Baghouz, to drop them at Al Hol camp a few hours away, in February 2019. Reuters -
Mazloum Abdi, SDF commander in chief, announces the end of ISIS control of land in eastern Syria, at Al Omar oilfield in Deir Ezzor, in March 2019. Reuters -
The SDF conducts a live-fire exercise alongside US soldiers in Syria, in March 2022. Reuters -
Fighters of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army take part in a military parade in the countryside of Aleppo, as part of preparations for military action in SDF-held areas, in June 2022. Reuters -
Mazloum Abdi with US special envoy Tom Barrack, in October 2025. Photo: Mazloum Abdi -
Members of Syrian government security forces stand guard after taking control of Al Hol camp following the withdrawal of the SDF, in Hasakah, January 2026. Reuters -
The Syrian army uncovers major underground fortifications after SDF withdrawal, in Sarrin, Aleppo, January 2026. Reuters -
Members of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces celebrate in the city of Qamishli during a curfew, following an agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government, February 2026. Reuters -
Syria's President Ahmad Al Shara, right, attends a meeting with Mazloum Abdi, leader of the SDF, at the People's Palace in Damascus, in August 2026. AFP
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.
