Damascus (Diplomat.so) - The Syrian Democratic Forces formally dissolved Tuesday, August 25, after commander Mazloum Abdi announced in Damascus that the group had completed its integration into Syrian state institutions.
Abdi made the announcement at the presidential palace after meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, alongside senior Kurdish official Ilham Ahmed and military commander Sipan Hamo. The decision also ends the Autonomous Administration and its affiliated military and civilian structures as separate institutions.
"We announce today the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and we responsibly announce their dissolution as an independent military force,” Abdi said in remarks delivered first in Arabic and then Kurdish.
Abdi said the decision followed an agreement with al-Sharaa and the completion of arrangements incorporating SDF forces into Syrian army brigades. He described the transition as a move away from armed confrontation toward participation in rebuilding the country.
"We want this day to mark a genuine transition from the battlefields to the fields of construction, from the era of weapons to the era of peace,” Abdi said.
The announcement followed months of negotiations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led authorities over the future of military, security and civilian institutions in northeastern Syria. Abdi said five days earlier that integration of military, security and administrative institutions into state structures had been completed.
The process accelerated after fighting earlier in 2026 substantially reduced territory under SDF control. Syrian government authorities subsequently assumed control of strategic facilities previously administered by the Kurdish-led authorities, including Qamishli airport and important oil and gas installations.
Founded in October 2015, the SDF brought together Kurdish and Arab fighters and became the principal local military partner of the United States-led international coalition during operations against Islamic State. At its height, the force controlled large areas of northeastern Syria and administered territory through Kurdish-led civilian institutions.
Its dissolution marks a major change in Syria's post-war political and security structure by formally ending a powerful armed organization operating outside direct central-government command. The practical impact will depend on how former SDF units function within the national military and how civilian institutions are incorporated into Damascus-controlled ministries.
The transition also carries implications for Kurdish political participation, language and administrative rights. Abdi said al-Sharaa had demonstrated openness toward Kurdish-language education, an issue that featured prominently in negotiations.
For Damascus, the agreement expands central authority over northeastern territory, military formations and strategic infrastructure. For former SDF personnel and communities previously governed by the Autonomous Administration, attention now shifts from the dissolution itself to implementation of the integration arrangements and their place within Syria's state institutions.
