SDF, Syrian Government Reach Initial Deal on Military Integration

By Staff, Agencies

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, announced a preliminary agreement with Damascus to integrate SDF fighters into the Syrian army, marking a major shift in relations between the two sides, according to the Associated Press.

“We have formed a committee that will work with the Minister of Defense and other military officials to determine mechanisms for integrating our forces into the army,” Abdi said, adding that SDF fighters would hold “a respected position” due to their long service and battlefield experience.

He also noted “some flexibility in the Turkish position” toward the inclusion of the SDF in Syria’s armed forces.

Abdi confirmed that police forces operating in northeastern Syria will also be merged into the national security apparatus, signaling a broader unification of security institutions under Damascus’s authority.

Sanharib Barsoum, a member of the negotiating committee for the autonomous administration, said the SDF would be reorganized into three military divisions within the interim government’s military framework.

The elite counterterrorism units will reportedly join the central government’s structure and gain a nationwide operational mandate.

Barsoum clarified that no Syrian government troops would be deployed to the SDF-controlled north and east, where the forces will remain in place under the new unified command.

The move comes as Damascus and the SDF — key US partners in the fight against ISIS — seek to align their security priorities amid shifting regional dynamics and pressure from Turkey.