The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have officially dissolved as an independent military organisation, their commander Mazloum Abdi announced on Tuesday in a televised address at the presidential palace in Damascus. "We announce today the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces and declare, with full responsibility, their dissolution as an independent military force," Abdi said, speaking first in Arabic and then Kurdish. He stated the announcement followed "the completion of the process of integrating our forces into the brigades of the Syrian army."

Formed in 2015 at the instigation of the United States, the SDF grew into Syria's most capable paramilitary force, eventually controlling roughly a quarter of the country — primarily the oil-rich north and northeast. At its peak, the group numbered around 100,000 fighters, drawn from both Kurdish and Arab communities. The force became Washington's primary partner in the battle against the Islamic State (IS) group, which was defeated territorially in Syria in 2019. The path to dissolution, however, began with the fall of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, after which the new Damascus government — led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa — pressed Kurdish institutions to integrate into the state. Following clashes in January that saw the SDF lose large swaths of territory to government forces, the two sides signed a merger agreement. Arab fighters within the SDF's ranks had also defected en masse after government forces took control of the formerly Kurdish-held provinces of Raqa and Deir Ezzor.

The dissolution deal carries significant concessions for Syria's Kurdish population, historically marginalised under the five-decade Assad dynasty — many Kurds were denied citizenship, and public celebrations of Nowruz, the ancient springtime festival, were banned. Al-Sharaa issued a decree recognising Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic, the first such recognition since Syria's independence in 1946, and adopted Nowruz as a national holiday. Tens of thousands of Kurds stripped of citizenship during a 1962 census have had it restored. Abdi also cited al-Sharaa's commitment to Kurdish-language education as a key achievement. The agreement also requires the SDF to expel all non-Syrian members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) — the militant group that waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkey and whose alleged links to the SDF had made Ankara a persistent adversary.

The announcement marks a pivotal shift in the post-war landscape of Syria. For al-Sharaa, integrating the SDF represents a major step toward cementing central government authority across the entire country. For Syria's Kurds, however, analysts note it signals the end of their long-held ambition for meaningful autonomy in the northeast. Abdi indicated that the focus will now shift to political channels, saying "our struggle will continue, to cement our people's rights in the constitution." US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack called the dissolution "historic," praising what he described as a transition from division to "sustainable partnership" under a single army, government, and state.