SDF commander announces ‘new phase’ and integration into Syrian government

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi announced the military, security and administrative integration of the SDF with the Syrian state, saying a new phase would begin with a focus on political efforts to secure Kurdish rights in Syria’s constitution.

Abdi, who heads the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, made the announcement on Thursday evening at a ceremony organised in Qamishli to mark the 100th anniversary of the city’s founding, attended by a number of senior local government officials in Hasakah province.

“Today, with the completion of the integration phase with the government, we announce that we are entering a new phase and a new process,” Abdi said, adding that “the next battle will be political” and that the SDF would continue working to secure the rights of the Kurdish people in the Syrian constitution.

The SDF commander said his forces had “fought an existential battle” in recent years, noting that thousands of fighters had “given their lives defending their land and people”. He also thanked those who had supported the Kurdish forces over the years.

Abdi said Kurdish fighters had come to Syria from “the other three parts of Kurdistan” to help protect the region, before leaving, “with thanks”, after being asked to do so by the SDF.

Looking ahead, Abdi focused in his speech on the next political phase, saying that after the completion of the integration process, its main task would be to “guarantee the political and cultural rights of the Kurds within the Syrian state”.