The decision by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to disband and become fully integrated into the Syrian army represents one of the major “geopolitical shifts” in the region in recent years, as highlighted by security sources in Turkey, where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) has also stated that this step marks a milestone in strengthening the internal cohesion of Syria, which will also bring “a better future for our Kurdish brothers”.
The SDF formally announced its complete dissolution on 25 August after completing the integration of its military, security and administrative structures into Syrian state institutions. “Today we announce the end of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ mission and, with full responsibility, we announce their dissolution as an independent military force,” declared the SDF commander, Mazloum Abdi, during a televised speech from the Presidential Palace in Damascus.
Abdi added that the organisation’s dissolution also includes the Kurdish autonomous administration in north-eastern Syria and all military and civilian bodies linked to it. “We want this day to mark a real transition from the battlefields to the building sites, and from the era of weapons to the era of peace,” he said. The agreement with the central government includes a series of concessions by Damascus, such as the recognition of Kurdish as an official language and the continuation of education in Kurdish.
Ankara hails the move as a step towards a region free of terrorism
This historic announcement comes at a time when Turkey is keeping precisely the end of PKK terrorism as the main item on the country’s political agenda, following the ceasefire and the end to violence announced by the PKK leader, Abdullah Öcalan, who in May 2025 announced the dissolution of the terrorist group and the end of the armed struggle. The YPG, which forms the backbone of the SDF, is regarded by Turkey – and the US also admits this unofficially – as the PKK’s branch in Syria.
Ömer Çelik, deputy chairman and spokesperson for the AKP, the majority party in the Turkish parliament, has in recent hours spoken out on the dissolution of the SDF, according to reports in the Turkish media. In a post on his X account, Çelik emphasised that Erdoğan had always fought to protect Syrians from terrorism and foreign intervention, particularly during the most difficult moments of the war in Syria; he therefore noted that the dissolution of the SDF marks the beginning of a new phase for the country: “Following the dissolution of the SDF, an important milestone has been reached in terms of strengthening Syria’s internal integrity”.
Çelik emphasised that Turkey continues to pursue not only its goal of a “Türkiye free from terrorism”, but also that of a “region free from terrorism”, and argued that both objectives reflect the determination to thwart the plans of those who seek to fragment the region’s territory and exploit its resources for their own interests.
The AKP spokesperson concluded by stating that this approach also entails a safer and more stable future for the Kurds in the region, adding that Turkey will continue to support measures aimed at ensuring the stability, security and prosperity of Syria and its neighbouring countries.
US calls it a “historic” decision
In exclusive comments to CNN Türk following the SDF’s announcement, the US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Representative for Syria, Tom Barrack, highlighted the great significance of the decision announced in Damascus, stating that “the dissolution of the SDF is a historic and epic step” and that the process represents a critical turning point for stability in the Middle East.
For his part, Abdurrahman Mustafa, president of the Syrian Turkmen Assembly, also welcomed the announcement of the dissolution of the SDF in Syria, according to reports by specialist Turkish news websites: “The dissolution of the Syrian Democratic Forces and their Autonomous Administration, and their integration into state institutions, is a fundamental step towards overcoming division and the reunification of the country’s institutions under Syrian sovereignty. The new Syria embraces all its children — Arabs, Turkmens, Kurds, Syriac-Assyrians, Circassians and all other communities — on the basis of equal citizenship and the rule of law. One state, one army and a shared future for all Syrians,” he declared.
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Edited and reviewed by:
Pablo Gómez is a specialist in Turkey and has been editor-in-chief of Hispanatolia since 2011. He has been analysing current affairs and geopolitics in Turkey and the surrounding region since 2006.
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