Syrian Democratic Forces

Syrian Democratic Forces
Syrian Democratic Forces
قوات سوريا الديمقراطية (Arabic); Hêzên Sûriya Demokratîk (Kurdish); ܚܝ̈ܠܘܬܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܐ ܕܝܡܩܪܛܝܬܐ (Syriac);
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Leaders	Mazloum Abdi (SDF general); Kino Gabriel (SDF spokesman); Ferhad Şamî (SDF spokesman);
Dates of operation	10 October 2015 – present
Allegiance	Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria; Syrian Democratic Council; Syrian transitional government (since 2025, de jure);
Group	List of groups Groups based in all of Northeastern Syria People's Defense Units (YPG) YPG International Battalion; ; Women's Protection Units (YPJ); Anti-Terror Units (YAT, part of YPG & YPJ); Seljuk Brigade Hammam Turkmen Martyrs Brigade; ; Special Forces Regiment; Sapper unit; Syrian Democratic Forces military councils; Hêzên Komandos; Martyr Haroun Units; ; Groups based in the Jazira Region & Deir ez-Zor Governorate Syriac-Assyrian Military Council Syriac Military Council (MFS) Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces; Special Forces unit; ; Ashur Forces Khabour Guards Martyr Joel Hanna; ; Nattoreh; ; ; Martyr Nubar Ozanyan Brigade; Shammar tribe militias Al-Sanadid; ; al-Shaitat tribe militias Desert Hawks Brigade; ; Elite Forces (unclear) Saadallah al-Jabiri Battalion; ; Free Officers Union (unclear); Al-Baggara tribe militias; Harabiyya tribe militias; Zubayd tribe militias; Deir ez-Zor Military Council Gathering of al-Baggara Youth; ; Martyr Amara Arab Women's Battalion; ; Groups based in the Euphrates Region Tell Abyad Revolutionaries Brigade; Liberation Brigade (pro-SDF faction) ; Army of Revolutionaries Martyr Qasim Areef Battalion; ; Jazeera Knights Brigade; ; Groups based in the Afrin Region, Manbij Region, and Aleppo city (including Sheikh Maqsood), withdrew to Manbij in March 2018 Army of Revolutionaries Jabhat al-Akrad Shahba Women's Front; Tel Rifaat Revolutionaries Battalion; ; Division 30 remnants; Homs Commandos Brigade; 99th Infantry Brigade; 455th Special Tasks Brigade; Tribal Forces; ; Northern Democratic Brigade; Shahba Forces; Battalion of Karachok Martyrs; Revolutionary Forces; Brigade For The Liberation of Idlib and Afrin; Idlib Revolutionaries Brigade; Wrath of Olives Operations Room; Afrin Liberation Forces; Sheikh Maqsoud Liberation Forces; ; Groups based in the Manbij Region Manbij Military Council Northern Sun Battalion; Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion; ; Al-Bab Military Council Al-Bab Military Council Female Battalion; ; Jarabulus Military Council; ; Groups based in the Raqqa District & Tabqa District Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa; Raqqa Hawks Brigade Martyr Tasleem Jimmo Brigade; Ghanim group; ; Raqqa Martyrs Brigade; Liwa Owais al-Qorani remnants; Ajeel tribe militias; Free Raqqa Brigade; Free Tabqa Brigade; Umanaa al-Raqqa Brigade; Harun al-Rashid Brigade; ; ;
Headquarters	Qamishli, Al-Hasakah, Syria
Active regions	Northern Syria Aleppo Governorate; Hasakah Governorate; Raqqa Governorate; Deir ez-Zor Governorate; ;
Ideology	List of ideologies Democracy ; Decentralization ; Secularism ; Regionalism ; Socialism ; Libertarian socialism ; Democratic confederalism ; Ethnic minority rights ; Kurdish minority interests ; Assyrian minority interests ; Jineology ; Pro-SDF Syrian opposition ; Kurdish nationalism ;
Size	100,000 (2021 estimate); 50,000–100,000 (2025 estimate)
Allies	Allies Germany; United States; United Kingdom; United Arab Emirates (2017–2018); Saudi Arabia (2018); Kurdistan Region; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan; Kurdistan Workers' Party (until 2025); International Freedom Battalion; France; Ba'athist Syria (sometimes, until 2024); Iraq (sometimes) Popular Mobilization Forces (sometimes) Liwa al-Tufuf; ; ; Iran (sometimes); Russia (sometimes); Some groups in the Syrian opposition; NES police forces Northern Syria Internal Security Forces Asayish Anti-Terror Forces (HAT SWAT units); ; Manbij Internal Security Forces Quick Reaction Force unit; ; Raqqa Internal Security Forces Quick Reaction Force unit; ; Deir ez-Zor Internal Security Forces Quick Reaction Force unit; ; ; Sutoro Bethnahrain Women's Protection Forces police branch; ; ; NES civilian defence forces Self-Defense Forces (HXP) Special Forces; ; Syrian Border Security Force (BSF); Civilian Defense Force (HPC); ; ;
Opponents	List of opponents Hezbollah ; Iran ; Islamic State ; Liwa Fatemiyoun ; Popular Mobilization Forces (sometimes) ; Popular Resistance of the Eastern Region ; Russia ; Ba'athist Syria (sometimes, until 2024) ; Syrian National Army (until 2025) ; Turkey ; Arab Tribal and Clan Forces ;
Wars	Syrian civil war Rojava conflict; Battle of Aleppo; Rojava–Islamist conflict; US intervention in the Syrian civil war; Al-Hawl offensive; Tishrin Dam offensive; Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016); Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016); Battle of Tell Abyad (2016); Northern Raqqa offensive; 2016 Aleppo campaign; Manbij offensive (2016); Battle of al-Hasakah (2016); Raqqa offensive (2016–2017) Battle of Tabqa Dam (2017); Battle of Raqqa (2017); ; Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019); Battle of Khasham; Deir ez-Zor Governorate clashes; Eastern Syria insurgency Deir ez-Zor clashes (2023); Arab tribal insurgency in Eastern Syria; ; Battle of Qamishli (2021); Battle of al-Hasakah (2022); 2024 Syrian opposition offensives Battle of Aleppo (2024); Deir ez-Zor offensive (2024); ; SDF–Syrian Transitional Government clashes (2025–present); Kurdish-Turkish conflict (2015-2025) Operation Euphrates Shield; Operation Olive Branch; 2018 Syrian–Turkish border clashes; 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria; Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria (2024–2025) Operation Dawn of Freedom Manbij offensive (2024); ; 2024 Kobani clashes; East Aleppo offensive (2024–2025); ; ; ;
Designated as a terrorist group by	Turkey
Website	sdf-press.com/en/

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurdish-led coalition of left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES; also unofficially known as Rojava) since 2015. Founded on 10 October 2015, the stated mission of the SDF is to create a secular, democratic, and federalized Syria. The SDF is opposed by Turkey, who view the group as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is internationally designated a terrorist group.

Formed as a rebel alliance in the Syrian civil war with American support, the SDF is composed primarily of Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian/Syriac, as well as some smaller Armenian, Turkmen, and Chechen forces. It is militarily led by the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia which is designated as a terrorist group by both Turkey and Qatar. The SDF also includes several ethnic militias and various factions of the Syrian opposition's Free Syrian Army.

Opponents of the SDF include various Islamist, Syrian nationalist, and pro-Turkish forces involved in the civil war. Major enemies include al-Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Syrian National Army (TFSA), the Turkish Armed Forces, and their allies. Up to 2019, the SDF focused primarily on ISIL, successfully driving them from important strategic areas such as Al-Hawl, Shaddadi, Tishrin Dam, Manbij, Tabqa, Euphrates Dam, Mansoura Dam, and ISIL's former capital of Raqqa. In March 2019, the SDF announced the total territorial defeat of ISIL in Syria, with the SDF taking control of the last stronghold in Baghuz. Since then, the SDF has increasingly been involved in combatting the TFSA and Turkish presence in northern Syria.

On 10 March 2025, the SDF agreed to integrate into Syrian state institutions under the Syrian caretaker government. In January 2026, the Syrian transitional government launched an offensive against the SDF in northeastern Syria. On 18 January, a 14-point ceasefire agreement with the SDF, negotiated through the US envoy Tom Barrack, was announced, under which the SDF is set to be integrated into the Syrian government, and the governorates of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor immediately handed over to the government, together with the administration of prisoner-of-war camps for Islamic State members, all border crossings and oil fields.