SDF to integrate into Damascus ministries, retain regional authority

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
Today 11:01

SDF units will integrate into Syria’s transitional government forces while staying in northeastern regions, possibly marking a major step toward unification.

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Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, right, shakes hands with Mazloum Abdi, left, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, in Damascus, Syria, on March 10, 2025. (SANA via AP)

Three Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) military units will formally integrate into the armed (Defense) and security (Interior) forces of Syria’s transitional government in Damascus, while maintaining their operational presence in northeastern Syria.

Sanharib Barsum, a member of the SDF’s negotiation committee, told Ronahi TV, affiliated with the Kurdish-led force, that the agreement allows SDF units to remain in their home regions and that no government forces will be deployed into northern and eastern territories.

“SDF forces will continue to operate locally while integrating into national structures,” Barsum said.

The integration plan includes the SDF’s counter-terrorism special forces, which will join the government’s corresponding unit and operate across the country, ensuring coordination under the Damascus-led framework.

First formal session of March 10 delegations

SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi had previously confirmed a preliminary agreement with the transitional authorities regarding the integration of his forces under the Ministries of Defense and Interior. According to SDF sources, a military delegation arrived in Damascus earlier this week to negotiate the operational and administrative mechanisms of the integration.

The meeting marks the first formal session of committees established under the March 10 agreement between the SDF and the transitional government. Since then, sporadic clashes have erupted in eastern regions between transitional government-backed forces and the SDF.

A ceasefire was recently reached between the two sides, as competing political factions vie to assert control in post-Assad Syria, nearly a year after the regime change.

If successful, the integration of the SDF represents a major step toward unifying Syria’s military and security apparatus while recognizing the autonomy of northeastern regions. However, challenges remain regarding decentralization, Kurdish demands, and coordination with regional actors such as Turkiye, who still back a major militant force, the Syrian National Army.