Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)

Force in Play

Integrating into Syrian national army

The United States began bombing ISIS targets in Syria in September 2014. Eleven years later, Washington announced it will withdraw all remaining troops within two months—ending a ground presence that once numbered over 2,000 soldiers. The withdrawal follows a cascade of changes: Assad's fall in December 2024, a new HTS-led government taking control, and an agreement integrating America's Kurdish allies into the Syrian national army.

Updated Feb 18

Force in Play

Reduced to Hasakah province and Kobani pocket; faces January 24 deadline to finalize integration mechanism

Syria's 13-month standoff over Kurdish autonomy ended on January 18, 2026, when Damascus and the SDF signed a 14-point agreement dissolving the Kurdish autonomous administration. After capturing the al-Omar oilfield, Tabqa dam, and Raqqa city in a lightning offensive, Syrian forces secured SDF capitulation: complete withdrawal east of the Euphrates, handover of all three northeastern provinces, and integration of Kurdish fighters into the Syrian army on an individual basis.

Updated Jan 22

Force in Play

Negotiating integration into Syrian state

The SDF has guarded roughly 9,000 ISIS fighters and 38,000 of their family members since the caliphate collapsed in 2019. That custodial arrangement just cracked. When Syrian government forces and Kurdish fighters traded control of Al-Shaddadi prison on January 20, 2026, the handover gap let local residents break out between 120 and 200 detainees—most recaptured by day's end, but the incident exposed what happens when the world's largest ISIS detention system changes hands. Twenty-four hours later, the U.S. military transferred the first 150 detainees from Hasakah to Iraq, launching a mission that could relocate up to 7,000 fighters as Syria's government assumes control of the northeast.

Updated Jan 22

Force in Play

Rejected Damascus subordination demand; controls only Hasakah and Qamishli cities; withdrew guards from al-Hol camp; 4-day ceasefire through Jan 24 before potential Damascus assault

The five-hour meeting collapsed. On January 20, Syrian President al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi met in Damascus with the defense and foreign ministers present—the highest-level direct talks since the January 18 ceasefire. Al-Sharaa offered Mazloum the position of Deputy Defense Minister and asked him to nominate Hasakah's governor in exchange for cutting PKK ties and accepting Syrian forces into the province. Mazloum requested that Hasakah remain under full SDF administration. Al-Sharaa refused, conditioning the agreement on Interior Ministry forces entering Hasakah. The talks collapsed entirely. Within hours, Damascus announced a four-day ceasefire through January 24 and Syrian forces began deploying toward Hasakah—the last major SDF-held city. Trump called al-Sharaa the same day, securing a pledge not to advance on Hasakah while affirming Kurdish rights 'within the framework of the Syrian state.' But by January 21, Syrian forces controlled Raqqa city, al-Hol ISIS detention camp, and were positioned outside Hasakah. The question shifted from whether the SDF survives to whether it surrenders or fights.

Updated Jan 21

Force in Play

U.S. partner force controlling northeast Syria, guarding ISIS prisons

A lone ISIS gunman killed two Iowa National Guardsmen and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra, Syria, on December 13, 2025—the first American combat deaths since dictator Bashar al-Assad fled the country a year earlier. Six days later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth launched Operation Hawkeye Strike: F-15s, A-10s, Apache helicopters, and HIMARS artillery hammering 70 ISIS targets across central Syria with over 100 precision munitions. Jordan sent fighter jets. Trump called it vengeance. Then U.S. forces kept hunting—11 more raids between December 20-29 killed or captured 25 ISIS operatives and destroyed four weapons caches.

Updated Dec 31, 2025