US envoy says SDF's role in Syria has largely expired' after ISIL

"The role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired as the Syrian government is ready to assume security responsibilities, US Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack has said. Historically, the US military presence in northeastern Syria was justified primarily as a counter-ISIS partnership, Barrack wrote on X. He added that Syria's situation has fundamentally transformed, with Damascus joining the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS as its 90th member in late 2025."

"Syria is now willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities including control of ISIL (ISIS) detention facilities and camps, he said. The envoy went on to say that as the Syrian government takes its position as the anti-ISIS force, it now created a unique window for Kurds to integrate after President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that Kurds would be granted citizenship rights and protections for the Kurdish language."

"Barrack also said the future of the Kurdish community in Syria is now at a pathway to full integration following a four-day ceasefire announced by the government. Reporting from Damascus, Al Jazeera's Ayman Oghanna says the US had enjoyed a very long relationship with the SDF. For more than a decade, they've equipped the SDF, they've trained the SDF, they've fought alongside the SDF, and they still have 900 troops in SDF territory, he said."

The Syrian Democratic Forces' role as the primary anti-ISIS ground force has largely expired as the Syrian government prepares to assume security responsibilities. Damascus joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS as its 90th member in late 2025. Syria is positioned to take over control of ISIL detention facilities and camps. President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that Kurds would be granted citizenship rights and protections for the Kurdish language, creating a window for Kurdish integration. A four-day ceasefire was announced by the government. The US maintained a decade-long partnership with the SDF and still has about 900 troops in SDF-held territory.

Read at www.aljazeera.com