Shafaq News- Damascus

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi on Tuesday announced the formal dissolution of the SDF and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), bringing their military and civilian institutions under state authority.

Speaking at a press conference, Abdi framed the move as a transition from armed conflict to participation in rebuilding Syria, noting that SDF fighters had been integrated into Syrian army brigades and that the group would no longer operate as an independent military force.

He also highlighted Kurdish-language education, saying Al-Sharaa had pledged to protect the right to study in Kurdish and that implementation would begin this year.

Earlier in the day, Al-Sharaa met Abdi and Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of AANES’s foreign relations department, in Damascus. A source familiar with the talks told Shafaq News that they discussed regional developments and issues of mutual concern.

The dissolution completes an integration process agreed by Damascus and the SDF on Jan. 29, under which military and administrative structures, prisons, oil fields, border crossings, and other institutions in northeastern Syria would come under state authority.

Abdi had confirmed on Aug. 20 that Kurdish military, security, and administrative institutions had been incorporated into the state, calling it the start of a new phase for Syria's Kurds after years of self-administration during the conflict.

Read more: Kurds in Syria: From marginalization to a defining political force