SDF Formally Dissolves as Independent Force, Merges Into Syrian Army

SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced at the Damascus presidential palace on August 25, 2026 the formal dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces as an independent military force, saying '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.' The announcement completes the merger agreed in January 2026 between Damascus and the SDF — a deal Washington called a 'historic milestone' — under which Kurdish fighters who helped defeat ISIS with US backing are folded into Syria's national army. The deal includes recognition of Kurdish cultural, civil, and educational rights. Abdi called it 'a historic moment in which we turn an important page in Syria's history' and said he hoped it marked 'the beginning of a true transition from the battlefields to the fields of construction.' The move follows the August 21 completion of civil-institution integration and comes one day after the US rescinded Syria's state sponsor of terrorism designation.