The SDF according to its commander Mazloum Abdi comprise about 100 000 members.433 They are a military alliance in which the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) has an prominent component. Alongside the YPG there are regional military councils such as the Deir Ez-Zor Military Council, Manbij Council, and Raqqa Council, whose primary task is to protect their own areas.434 For more information on the structure of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), see section 1.4.3 of the EUAA COI Report Syria – Security Situation (October 2024).
As HTS-led factions captured Aleppo in late November 2024, the SNA launched a simultaneous operation in Aleppo province, leading to clashes with the SDF west of the Euphrates River.435 Meanwhile, the SDF took the withdrawal of Syrian government forces and their pro-Iran allies as an opportunity to expand its territories in Deir Ez-Zor.436 Facing military pressure from Turkish-backed forces and forces allied with the new authorities in Damascus, the SDF withdrew from several towns on the Euphrates in Raqqa and Deir Ez-Zor governorates. According to an SDF spokesperson, the aim was to preserve Kurdish areas further east and prevent an SNA breakthrough at the Tishreen Dam.437 This resulted in the loss of control of several cities to the SNA, such as Manbij and Tall Rifaat.438 Apart from direct clashes, the SDF also launched drone attacks on SNA positions,439 described as a newly emerging capability.440
During the reference period, the SDF were faced with defections from Arab SDF members.441 A conscript from a base in the Al-Shaddadi area cited by Syria TV reported that the SDF had halted the discharge of military service recruits as about 80 recruits had fled the base, while a source close to the SDF stated that the desertion rate of military service conscripts following the ouster of Bashar Al-Assad had reached more than 90% in some areas of southern Hasaka governorate and rural Deir Ez-Zor.442 Furthermore, several commanders from the Deir Ez-Zor Military Council defected and crossed the Euphrates to flee to areas under the control of the MOA.443 Several sources reported of clashes between tribal militias and SDF in Deir Ez-Zor governorate,444 with tribal fighters driving the SDF out of several locations along the Euphrates river in eastern Deir Ez-Zor.445
Mazloum Abdi in January 2025 stated that one of their main demands was a decentralised administration, allowing the SDF to integrate into the Defence Ministry as a unified military bloc. However, interim defence minister Murhaf Abu Qasra rejected this proposal.446 As of the end of January 2025, the negotiations between the SDF and the Transitional Administration seemed to be stalled,447 one reason being the uncertain stance of the new US administration.448 The one day National Dialogue conference organised by the Transitional Administration on 25 February,449 while assembling 600 people from across Syria did not extend invitations to SDF figures.450 Moreover, Türkiye reportedly disrupted negotiations between the Ministry of Defence and the SDF, insisting on a complete dismantling of the SDF and rejecting attempts at compromise, such as a proposed relocation of PKK-affiliated fighters to Iraq or Iran.451 In March 2025, however, SDF leaders signed a deal with the government to integrate their armed forces and civilian institutions into the new Syrian government. The agreement mandates a complete cessation of hostilities and requires the SDF to cede control of border posts, the airport, and key oil and gas fields. It also acknowledges the Kurdish minority as an integral part of Syria and ensures their political representation and participation.452 The agreement emerged amid increasing uncertainty over the U.S. role in the region453 and diplomatic efforts by several Western countries advocating for the SDF’s integration into the new Syrian state,454 with experts suggesting the SDF likely recognized its weakening negotiating position.455 The practical implementation of this agreement could not be monitored within the scope of this report.
- 433
Enab Baladi, Damascus – SDF negotiations await the “deal”, 30 January 2025, url
- 434
Enab Baladi, What is SDF’s military structure and why does it insist on a “one block” demand?, 23 January 2025, url
- 435
Iddon, P., Why fighting is raging in north Syria between the Turkish-backed SNA and Kurdish-led SDF, The New Arab, 21 January 2025, url
- 436
Rudaw, Syrian rebels claim control of oil-rich Deir ez-Zor from SDF, 11 December 2024, url
- 437
National (The), US-backed SDF ‘withdraws from parts of eastern Syria’, 21 January 2025, url
- 438
Enab Baladi, Battles of Tishrin Dam: A pressure tool in negotiations with SDF, 20 January 2025, url
- 439
Etana, Syria Update #15: 28 January, 24 January 2025, url; Iddon, P., Kurdish Drones Are Fending Off Turkish-Backed Militia Attacks In Syria, Forbes, 17 January 2025, url
- 440
Iddon, P., Kurdish Drones Are Fending Off Turkish-Backed Militia Attacks In Syria, Forbes, 17 January 2025, url
- 441
Al-Ahmed, S., Will Damascus-SDF negotiations lead to agreement or escalation?, MEI, 24 January 2025, url; Syria TV, قسد توقف تسريح مجنديها بسبب استمرار حالات الفرار والانشقاق [SDF halt discharge of recruits due to continued cases of flight and defection], 16 January 2025, url; Syria Direct, Protests and SDF defections: Discontent simmers in eastern Deir e-Zor, 13 December 2024, url
- 442
Syria TV, قسد توقف تسريح مجنديها بسبب استمرار حالات الفرار والانشقاق [SDF halt discharge of recruits due to continued cases of flight and defection], 16 January 2025, url
- 443
Syria Direct, Protests and SDF defections: Discontent simmers in eastern Deir e-Zor, 13 December 2024, url
- 444
Etana, Syria Update #16: 3 February, 1 February 2025, url; Enab Baladi, دير الزور.. ضحايا باشتباكات بين قوات العشائر وقسد [Deir Ez-Zor: casualties resulting from clashes between tribal forces and SDF], 21 January 2025, url; New Arab (The), مقاتلو العشائر يسيطرون على مواقع لقوات "قسد" شرق دير الزور [Tribal fighters take control of SDF positions in eastern Deir Ez-Zor], 20 January 2025, url
- 445
New Arab (The), مقاتلو العشائر يسيطرون على مواقع لقوات "قسد" شرق دير الزور [Tribal fighters take control of SDF positions in eastern Deir Ez-Zor], 20 January 2025, url
- 446
Reuters, Syrian defence minister rejects Kurdish proposal for its own military bloc, 19 January 2025, url
- 447
Enab Baladi, Damascus – SDF negotiations await the “deal”, 30 January 2025, url; Al-Ahmed, S., Will Damascus-SDF negotiations lead to agreement or escalation?, MEI, 24 January 2025, url
- 448
Al-Ahmed, S., Will Damascus-SDF negotiations lead to agreement or escalation?, MEI, 24 January 2025, url
- 449
Al Jazeera, Key takeaways from Syria’s National Dialogue conference, 26 February 2025, url
- 450
AP, Syria’s national dialogue conference held as the battered country seeks to rebuild, 25 February 2025, url
- 451
Aldoughli, R., Syria’s New Rulers Are Working To Unify Military Power, New Lines Magazine, 25 February 2025, url
- 452
BBC News, Kurdish-led SDF agrees to integrate with Syrian government forces, 11 March 2025, url
- 453
New York Times (The). Syrian Government Signs Breakthrough Deal With Kurdish-Led Forces, 10 March 2025, url
- 454
MEE, Landmark SDF deal hailed as positive step for Syria and Kurds, 11 March 2025, url
- 455
New York Times (The). Syrian Government Signs Breakthrough Deal With Kurdish-Led Forces, 10 March 2025, url