Syrian Kurds announce completion of civil, military intergration with Damascus

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi announced on Thursday that the integration of Kurdish institutions into Syria's state government has been completed, ending the Kurds' pursuit of autonomy. The integration, following a January agreement, involves merging Kurdish civil, military, and administrative institutions into the national state, a move Washington called "historic."

Abdi, leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), stated at a Qamishli event that the SDF's phase of integration into national state institutions is complete. The January agreement, signed by Abdi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, recognized Kurdish rights and language, unprecedented since Syria's independence in 1946. Kurdish military officials were appointed to key roles, including governor of Hasakeh and regional assistant defence minister.

US troops evacuated IS detainees from Kurdish-controlled camps to Iraq. Despite the integration, Abdi did not disclose the integration process, which marks the end of the SDF, a force Washington backed to combat ISIS, but which is now dissolved. Analysts view the dissolution as a bittersweet end to a successful military force that defeated ISIS.