Countries throughout the region have praised the decision by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to dissolve itself and integrate into the new Syrian security forces.
The process has been in the works since a meeting in March 2025 between SDF commander Mazloum Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. A new meeting this week in Damascus became the endpoint for the process. The SDF is now dissolved.
Regional leaders have praised the process. The concept is that this will lead to peace and unity in Syria and also guarantee Kurdish rights in eastern Syria. The SDF was founded with US support in 2015. It played a major role in defeating ISIS. Its leadership and many of its fighters were Kurdish.
Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani praised the SDF decision on Wednesday. “He also hailed the chief of the now-dissolved SDF and the Syrian president for the move,” Rudaw media noted.
“I welcome the significant progress made in the process of integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with the Syrian government forces, as well as the steps taken to implement the agreements reached between them,” Barzani said. “I see this as an important development toward strengthening Syria’s security and stability,” he added.
He added that “we hope that this step will contribute to building a secure future that preserves the rights of all components of Syria, opens broader horizons for developing its relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and expands cooperation in all fields in a way that serves common interests.”
Countries in the region, such as Qatar, also praised the move. “Saudi Arabia also welcomed the integration, saying it contributes to Syria’s security and stability, while Turkey described the SDF’s dissolution as an important development in strengthening Syrian state authority,” Rudaw noted.
Abroad, many countries are also enthusiastic. French President Emmanuel Macron praised the decision, especially Abdi’s “sense of responsibility.” France has been a key supporter of Kurds and Kurdish rights over the years.
The UK said that it welcomes “the recent announcement on the dissolution of the SDF as an independent military force and its integration alongside DAANES administrative bodies into Syrian state institutions – an important step towards a peaceful, stable and unified Syria.”
US supports new developments, calling them 'absolutely historic'
The US is also happy with how this has turned out. US Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack, who is also the US Envoy to Iraq and Syria, said the move is “absolutely historic.” He said that US President Donald Trump’s “far-sighted leadership opened the path for the SDF’s orderly integration into Syrian state institutions – transforming past division into lasting partnership and restoring to the Syrian people the opportunity to shape their common future.”
He added that “recognizing the Kurdish language in education and securing substantive roles for our valued partners Mazloum Abdi and Ilham Ahmed within the Syrian government pays due respect to their leadership, the sacrifices of our Kurdish partners, and the constructive contribution they have made to regional stability – turning yesterday’s separations into tomorrow’s shared purpose.”
Syria's next steps following SDF dissolution
What comes next? The deal to dissolve the SDF is supposed to pave the way for a number of key decisions in the next phase. Mazloum Abdi may take on a new role after having served as a military commander for a decade. Ilham Ehmed and other officials who served key roles in eastern Syria, either with the SDF or civilian components of it such as the SDC or AANES, may take on new roles.
Wladimir van Wilgenburg, a co-author of two books on Syrian Kurds who is an expert and journalist, noted that the terms of the agreement in Damascus will lead to Abdi becoming a presidential adviser. He based his post on the terms of the agreement on Ibrahim Hamidi, the editor-in-chief of al-Majalla.
According to the post, he noted that Ilham Ehmed would become a member of the People’s Assembly of Syria. In addition, Kurdish will become an official language for education, and the Kurdish women’s military unit called the YPJ will “join the Interior Ministry to fight terrorism (as CT units).”
The deal in Damascus could also lead to developments in Turkey with the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). This group is also supposed to be disbanding, ending decades of conflict in Turkey. Turkey has long viewed the PKK as linked to the SDF and viewed SDF leaders as “terrorists.” Now this may change. It remains to be seen how this actually develops. Many are concerned that now that the SDF is disbanded, Damascus will have no reason to proceed in good faith.