AFP photo.
The Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) decision to dissolve and fully integrate with the Syrian national army is one of the major “geopolitical shifts” in the region, Turkish security sources have said, hoping this will positively contribute to Ankara’s “terror-free Türkiye” initiative.
Their comments came after SDF and the Syrian government reached an agreement for the integration of the former’s forces with the Syrian army brigades.
“We announce today the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces and announce with full responsibility its dissolution as an independent military force,” SDF commander Mazloum Abdi said on Aug. 25, in a televised speech at the presidential palace in Damascus.
He said the dissolution also covers the autonomous administration in northeastern Syria and all military and civilian bodies affiliated with it.
“We want this day to mark a genuine transition from the battlefields to the fields of construction and from the era of weapons to the era of peace,” Abdi said.
The announcement comes as Türkiye is pressing ahead with an anti-terrorism campaign at home, following a declaration of a ceasefire by PKK, and its announcement that it would disband and lay down arms. The backbone of the SDF is YPG, which Ankara views as a direct extension of PKK.
Türkiye has been also assisting the Syrian government for creating an effective security structure under the principle of “one army.”
The Turkish sources underscored the importance of this development as a “major geopolitical shift” which could also have positive impacts on Türkiye’s bid to create a “terror-free region” through the dissolution and disarmament of PKK.
HH Institutional integration
According to the sources, the SDF has also handed over all strategic facilities including border gates, airports and oil fields to the Damascus administration under of their deal.
They also recalled that some senior SDF officials have been offered governmental positions and talks between the group and Damascus also covered Kurds’ demands for constitutional status, rights and other related matters.
The negotiations between the SDF and Damascus were launched right after the collapse of the Assad regime and the establishment of an interim government under the leadership of President Ahmad al-Sharaa in late 2025.
In March 2025, the two sides agreed on principles for the integration of the SDF forces which later turned into an agreement in early 2026.
HH Important timing for security redesign
The development in Syria comes at an “important turning point for the future of the regional security,” according to the security sources.
They also said the SDF’s dissolution is “totally in line with Türkiye’s internal and external security concepts which stipulate securing southern borders, protecting Syria’s territorial integrity and political unity and disallowing the presence of independent armed groups in Syria.”
The dissolution of the terror groups will “end the security vacuum in both Syria and Iraq,” they added.
The SDF amassed around 100,000 fighters at its peak, both Kurds and Arabs, and controlled swaths of Syria’s oil-rich north and northeast. However, the January clashes saw the group lose large chunks of territory to government troops.
Last week, Abdi announced that the integration of the Kurdish administration with the Syrian state was complete, adding at the time: “Our struggle will continue, to cement our people’s rights in the constitution.”
