Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces confirms the completion of integrating its forces into the Syrian Army brigades, emphasizes the transition from the era of arms to peace, and adheres to the right to Kurdish-language education
Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi, announced on Tuesday the end of the forces’ mission and their dissolution as an independent military force, following the completion of their integration into the Syrian Army brigades. He described this step as a transition to a new phase under the banner of peace, stability, and building a new Syria.
Abdi’s announcement came during a speech delivered at the People’s Palace in the Syrian capital, Damascus, following his meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. He stated that Syria has entered a new phase, confirming that the decision to dissolve the “SDF” came after an agreement with al-Sharaa and the completion of integrating its forces into the Syrian Army brigades.
Abdi said: “Today, we stand before you at a historic moment in which we turn an important page in Syria’s history and begin opening a new page titled peace, stability, and nation-building.”
He pointed out that SDF fighters bore a great responsibility during one of the most difficult stages Syria has gone through, adding that they liberated many Syrian cities and towns from Ba’ath rule first, and later from ISIS terrorism.
He added that the male and female fighters of the forces offered “their most precious possessions” during those battles, with thousands of martyrs falling for the sake of a secure future for Syria’s children.
Abdi explained that circumstances have changed and that the country has entered a new phase characterized by peace and participation in building the new Syria. He stated: “After reaching an agreement with President al-Sharaa and completing the operations of integrating our forces into the Syrian Army brigades, we announce today the end of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ mission and announce with full responsibility its dissolution as an independent military force.”
He stressed that the sacrifices of SDF fighters will remain present, saying: “We will carry with us the memory of our martyrs and hold their sacrifices in our conscience, because they did not fight for the sake of war, but so that a day would come when Syrians would no longer need to fight.”
Abdi linked the upcoming phase to transitioning from military action to reconstruction, considering that the announcement of dissolving the “SDF” should mark the beginning of a broader transformation. He said: “We want this day to be the start of a true transition from battlefields to fields of construction, from the time of weapons to the time of peace, and from the phase of defending Syria to the phase of building Syria.”
In another part of his speech, Abdi addressed Kurdish rights, focusing on the issue of Kurdish-language education. He stated that “the right to education in the Kurdish language is one of the most important rights that our Kurdish people have sought for decades,” noting that President al-Sharaa has announced on several occasions the preservation of this right.
He added: “We also perceived from him an open stance regarding the right to mother-tongue education and the future development of the current decision,” stressing that work will focus on implementing the decision during the current year, allowing it to be built upon in the near future.
The speech delivered by Abdi:
Mr. President,
People of Syria,
Sons and daughters of our homeland,
Comrades-in-arms,
And families of our righteous martyrs,
Today, we stand before you at a historic moment in which we turn an important page in Syria’s history and begin opening a new page titled peace, stability, and nation-building.
Since the foundation of the Syrian Democratic Forces, its fighters have borne a great responsibility during one of the most difficult stages Syria has gone through. They liberated many Syrian cities and towns from Ba’ath rule first, and later from ISIS terrorism.
During these battles, our male and female fighters offered their most precious possessions; they sacrificed their lives, and thousands of martyrs fell for the sake of a secure future for Syria’s children.
Circumstances have changed today, and the country has entered a new phase titled peace and participation in building the new Syria. After reaching an agreement with President al-Sharaa and completing the integration operations of our forces within the Syrian Army brigades, we announce today the end of the Syrian Democratic Forces’ mission and announce with full responsibility its dissolution as an independent military force.
We will carry with us the memory of our martyrs and hold their sacrifices in our conscience, because they did not fight for the sake of war, but so that a day would come when Syrians no longer need to fight. We want this day to be the start of a true transition from battlefields to fields of construction, from the time of weapons to the time of peace, and from the phase of defending Syria to the phase of building Syria.
The right to education in the Kurdish language is one of the most important rights that our Kurdish people have sought for decades. The President has announced on several occasions the preservation of this right.
We also perceived from him an open stance regarding the right to mother-tongue education and the future development of the current decision. We will work on implementing this decision in the current year so that we can build upon it in the near future.
The announcement of dissolving the “SDF” comes following rapid developments in the process of integrating its forces and institutions into the Syrian state. Abdi had announced on August 21 the completion of the military, security, and administrative integration of his forces within Syrian state institutions, confirming that Kurdish rights would be written into the constitution and that they would abide by Syrian state law.
The August 25 announcement represents the end of the “SDF’s” existence as an independent military force—as declared by Abdi—marking a new milestone in the trajectory of relations between the forces formed during the years of the Syrian war and the central government in Damascus, following agreements regarding the integration of its forces into state institutions.
Note: This text is translated from the original Arabic version… Read the Arabic version:Click here
