What does the SDF’s dissolution mean for security in northeastern Syria?

On 25 August 2026, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally announced its dissolution and full integration into the Syrian state’s institutions. The announcement follows extensive diplomatic efforts between the new Syrian government and the SDF, building on an initial integration agreement signed in March 2025 and on the finalization of ceasefire negotiations in January 2026. It also comes alongside the parallel peace process between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which formally announced its own disbandment and disarmament in May 2025.

Muaz Al Abdullah, ACLED’s Syria Analyst, said:

“The dissolution of the SDF serves Turkish interests by neutralizing a Kurdish armed group that has long threatened Ankara’s security along its southern borders. Importantly, however, the SDF is not dissolving at the height of its military activity. ACLED data shows that its military activity has declined dramatically since the end of battles between the SDF and government forces in February 2026, down from 80 recorded events in February to only nine in July. However, the security environment in areas that remained under Kurdish control has remained more volatile. Several incidents involving the targeting of Syrian government forces were recorded in al-Hasaka, Ayn al-Arab (Kobani), and al-Qamishli, including the 12 August attacks that resulted in the killing of two members of the Syrian army. According to ACLED data, the main types of events in areas that were under SDF control since February 2026 have been mainly protests by families of Kurdish fighters demanding to know about the fate of prisoners, which indicates that the process of integrating its former areas of control remains politically and socially contested.

“As a result, protests and localized attacks against Syrian government forces by Kurdish fighters opposed to the agreement will continue in the near term, particularly until the integration agreement moves beyond the institutional integration of armed forces and there is more community-level integration.

“At the same time, the terms of the integration of the SDF forces remain unclear, while the fate of detention facilities holding ISIL members will remain a crucial issue to monitor. The durability of the SDF’s dissolution will depend on how successfully Damascus manages these unresolved security, political, and community-level issues across northeastern Syria.”