SDF Officially Dissolved, Fighters Merged into Syrian Army — Kurdish Commanders Get Top Damascus Posts

The Kurdish-led alliance, which controlled large parts of northeastern Syria for years, announced its dissolution on Tuesday. Mazloum Abdi, the SDF commander, confirmed that the group no longer exists as an independent military force and that integration into the Syrian military is complete [228364][227659]. The move follows a January 29 agreement between the SDF and the central government, which outlined the framework for incorporating Kurdish forces into state institutions [223973].

A presidential committee tasked with implementing the agreement confirmed that the process is now shifting “from the stage of understandings to the stage of actual implementation” [223973]. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Abdi at the People’s Palace in Damascus to discuss next steps, with Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani also in attendance [227294].

Under the reported terms of the new arrangement, Abdi is set to become a presidential advisor, and Ilham Ahmed would take a role in parliament [228338]. The deal also includes provisions for education in the Kurdish language and the integration of the YPJ, the all-female militia, into the national armed forces [228338].

The dissolution marks a major shift in Syria’s post-war landscape, bringing the SDF—once a key U.S. ally in the fight against the Islamic State group—under the direct command of the central government [227659]. Kurdish authorities have announced the completion of their civil and military integration into the central government, a move Washington has described as “historic” [223774].

The political and administrative status of the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria remains unresolved, with no official decision made public on that matter yet [228364].