SDF’s Abdi: Forces to merge into Syrian army
Shafaq News- Hasakah
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday reported concrete progress in implementing the January 30 ceasefire agreement with Damascus, detailing steps to integrate forces and stabilize northeastern Syria.
The deal, reached after weeks of escalation, ended hostilities, placed SDF units under the Syrian military structure, transferred urban security in Hasakah and Qamishli to state authorities, and merged SDF institutions into government bodies.
Speaking at a gathering in Hasakah, Abdi clarified that the truce remains intact after delayed front-line withdrawals were completed, describing the agreement as the framework for preventing renewed conflict. The process spans Afrin, Ras Al-Ayn, Kobani, and Hasakah.
SDF formations will integrate as brigades within Syria’s Ministry of Defense, while "fighters who battled ISIS will maintain roles and contribute counterterrorism expertise" within the new structure. Joint leadership committees will oversee implementation, with coordination ongoing to resolve pending issues, including redeployment in Kobani.
Civil institutions that have operated in the northeastern region known as Rojava* for more than a decade will fold into the state system, and internal security bodies will move under the Interior Ministry, with practical steps set to begin in the coming days, Abdi explained.
* Rojava refers to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), a self-governing region in northern and northeastern Syria that emerged during the civil war after 2012 and is secured mainly by the SDF.
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