Government Official to Kurdistan24: SDF Merges With Syrian Army Before New Year
Syria says Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces will be integrated into the national army before the end of 2025, following talks in Damascus under US, British, and French supervision.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - As the year draws to a close, quiet but decisive talks are unfolding in Damascus over the future of armed forces that have controlled large parts of northern and eastern Syria, signaling a major shift in the country’s security landscape.
On Thursday, a source within the Syrian government told Kurdistan24’s correspondent in Damascus, that Mazloum Abdi, the General Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), is scheduled to visit Damascus before the end of the year.
According to the source, Abdi will meet Ahmed al-Sharaa, President of Syria, to discuss the implementation of the March 10 agreement, a framework aimed at unifying military and civilian institutions in northern and eastern Syria with the new government in Damascus.
The same source told Kurdistan24 that, before the end of the year, the Syrian Democratic Forces will be merged into the Syrian Arab Army. The process, the source said, is being carried out under pressure and supervision from the United States, Britain, and France.
Based on information that the source gave Kurdistan24, Syria’s government and the SDF are expected to reach a final agreement within the next two days regarding the integration of their forces. The plan would see more than 90,000 SDF members absorbed into Syria’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior, with the United States overseeing the process.
The Syrian government source emphasized that these steps are part of a broader political and security arrangement designed to formalize state authority while maintaining stability during the transition.
The March 10, 2025 agreement was signed by Mazloum Abdi and Ahmed Sharaa as a historic accord aimed at reunifying Syria’s fragmented institutions after years of conflict.
The agreement, which consists of eight points, focuses on preserving Syria’s territorial unity, guaranteeing the rights of all components of society, including Kurds, and halting armed confrontation. One of its central provisions is the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the national army, with the end of 2025 set as the deadline for implementation.
The United States, alongside Britain and France, is named as a guarantor of the agreement’s execution. From the outset, Washington has played a mediating role in the negotiations, repeatedly encouraging both sides to pursue a political settlement.
On several occasions, US officials, including representatives of US Central Command (CENTCOM), have expressed support for integrating the SDF into a unified national army, viewing the move as a way to strengthen regional security and prevent the resurgence of ISIS.
In November 2025, Ahmed Sharaa, Syria’s interim president, publicly called on the United States to directly supervise the integration of the SDF into central government security institutions, citing the need to ensure the agreement’s implementation and to prevent ISIS from re-emerging.
With international oversight and high-level meetings imminent, the planned integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into the national army marks a critical test for Syria’s post-conflict transition and the future balance of power across the country.