Syrian internal security forces stand guard along the fence of Al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's Hasakeh province on Jan. 21, 2026. (AFP)
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have consistently exploited the fight against the ISIL terrorist organization to justify their own continued existence and financing, Syria’s Interior Ministry said on Jan. 22.
“They claim to be part of the international coalition and to be fighting terrorism. On the contrary, as I have always said, the SDF has always exploited the ISIL issue, because the group’s continued presence means the continuation of the SDF’s own existence and funding,” Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba told the media.
The remarks came as Washington has for years backed the SDF as part of the U.S.-led international coalition against ISIL, but U.S. envoy Tom Barrack recently signaled a possible shift, saying the SDF’s role in combating the jihadist group “expired,” raising the prospect of a drawdown in U.S. support.
Baba stressed that those fighting the Syrian army were not exclusively Syrian nationals and said the PKK terrorist organization remained the decisive force behind the SDF leadership.
“The SDF is currently experiencing internal fragmentation due to the dominance of non-Syrian groups,” he said. “PKK factions made up of Iranian and Turkish figures are ruling over the Syrian faction within the SDF in the name of the so-called Kurdish cause, usurping its decision-making authority.”
“These factions obstruct all forms of international and positive mediation. They block every agreement reached, because the PKK is backward, living as if it were still in the 1960s, and does not care about the value of Kurdish or Iraqi blood,” Baba added.
Separately, Baba reiterated that Damascus had no issue with Syria’s Kurdish community itself, but rather with the SDF as a political and military entity.
Washington recently announced the launch of an operation to relocate up to 7,000 ISIL prisoners from Syria to Iraq.
The move follows the withdrawal of the SDF that had long secured detention camps, after Syrian government troops took control of territory in the north and northeast previously held by the SDF.
Iraqi and U.S. authorities have already confirmed the transfer of an initial group of 150 detainees, including both Iraqi nationals and foreign fighters.
