According to Xinhua News Agency, Mazlum Abdou, the leader of the Kurdish-led ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’, announced at a press conference held at the Syrian presidential palace on the 25th that the ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ and the autonomous government established by Syrian Kurdish forces would be dissolved, and they would be fully integrated into the Syrian national institutions. This marks the end of years of Kurdish ‘autonomy’. The reasons for this are mainly due to geopolitical upheavals, the loss of external support, and policy adjustments by the transitional government.
Abdi said, "We hope that today will be a true turning point, moving from the battlefield to construction, from the era of war to the era of peace... We hope to build a new Syria that belongs to all people."
As early as last week, he stated that he would continue to work hard to ensure the rights of the Kurds through Syria's constitutional framework.
The "Syrian Democratic Forces," established with the support of the United States in 2015, are led by the Syrian Kurdish militia 'People's Protection Force' (YPG). They control parts of northern and northeastern Syria, covering an area that accounts for about one-fourth of Syria's total territory. This region is also the core area of Syria's main grain and oil production areas.
Kurdish people are a minority ethnic group found throughout the Middle East, sharing a common language and culture. They are mainly distributed in Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. According to The Associated Press, similar to other Middle Eastern nations, the Kurds have been marginalized under the 50-year rule of the Assad family in Syria. They are prohibited from publicly celebrating Nowruz, a ancient Persian spring festival. For decades, several Kurdish armed groups have sought autonomy between Turkey, Syria, and Iran.
In December 2024, after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was removed from power, Washington established close ties with the government in Damascus. In January of this year, conflicts between Syrian government forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces led to Damascus regaining important territories, including Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
The two parties subsequently reached an agreement to incorporate the military, security, and civilian institutions in the northeast into the national structure. The agreement also required the expulsion of Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK) members who are not Syrians, and the inclusion of ‘Syrian Democratic Forces’ within Syria’s national security and military structures.
The new government is led by Syrian interim President Ahmed Harb, who is a leader of the opposition that overthrew Assad. However, the implementation of the plan has encountered obstacles, with conflicts breaking out several times. The Kurds question whether the new authorities, led by Sunni Arabs, will provide them with real representation in the new government. Ahmed Harb tries to attract their support.
During the cease-fire negotiations in January, he issued a decree that strengthened the rights of the Kurds. This decree designated Kurdish and Arabic as official languages, and declared Nowruz as a national holiday. At the same time, the decree restored citizenship to tens of thousands of Kurds in the northeastern part of Hassakeh, who had been deprived of it during the 1962 census.
Abdi said that Shala also promised that Kurds will have the right to receive education in their own language, which is a significant matter for Kurdish people in this country. However, there are still some problems with the integration process, including the fate of all-female combat units within the “Syrian Democratic Forces”. Many leaders of the Greater Damascalion Government hold conservative views and oppose the participation of women in combat.
For a long time, the United States has also been involved in supporting the Kurdish resistance organizations in the Middle East. In Iraq, Kurdish nationalist groups cooperated with the United States during the Gulf War of 1991 and achieved some success. The United States helped establish semi-autonomous Kurdish areas in Iraq. After the United States invaded Iraq in 2003, the CIA also trained and armed a military force known as the Peshmerga. In 2005, the Iraqi constitution officially recognized these semi-autonomous regions.
Since 2017, Washington has also equipped and trained the “People’s Protection Forces”. This organization successfully resisted ISIS, becoming a major component of today’s “Syrian Democratic Forces”.
The US has provided various forms of military support to this armed group for a long time. At the same time, relying on this armed force, the US has been continuously involved in the situation in Syria, thereby maintaining its geopolitical influence in the Middle East.
But now the United States has chosen to establish good relations with the new Syrian government, even though its leaders were once considered “terrorists”. Recently, the United States removed Syria from the list of so-called “terrorist supporters”. Against this backdrop, the Kurdish armed forces, which had failed on the front lines, are ultimately forced to withdraw.
