US Ambassador to Ankara Barrack: The rationale for the partnership with the SDF has ended
US Ambassador to Ankara Tom Barrack announced that the new central government in Syria, led by Ahmed al-Shara, is a "reliable partner in the fight against terrorism," and that the SDF's purpose as an anti-ISIS force has largely come to an end.
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In a statement on his X account, Barrack made the following remarks regarding the agreement and its aftermath:
Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Syria now has an accepted central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as the 90th member in late 2025) and has signaled cooperation with the US on counter-terrorism and a pivot to the West. This situation changes the rationale for the US-SDF partnership: the SDF's purpose as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely disappeared, because Damascus is now both willing and prepared to assume security responsibilities, including the control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.
Recent developments show that the US is actively facilitating this transition rather than extending a separate Self-Defense Forces role:
We have held comprehensive discussions with the Syrian Government and SDF leadership to secure the integration agreement signed on January 18 and to establish a clear roadmap for its timely and peaceful implementation.
The agreement integrates SDF fighters (individually, which remains one of the most contentious issues) into the national army, transfers key infrastructure (oil fields, dams, border crossings), and leaves the control of ISIS prisons and camps to Damascus.
The US has no interest in a long-term military presence; its priority is to defeat the remnants of ISIS, support reconciliation, and advance national unity without endorsing separatism or federalism.
This situation creates a unique opportunity for the Kurds: it offers integration into the new Syrian state, full citizenship rights (including for those who were previously stateless), recognition as an integral part of Syria, constitutional protection of the Kurdish language and culture (e.g., Kurdish-language education, the celebration of Newroz as a national holiday), and the opportunity to participate in governance far beyond the semi-autonomy the SDF held during the chaos of the civil war.
Although risks remain (e.g., fragile ceasefires, occasional clashes, concerns about radicals, or the desire of some actors to revisit past grievances), the United States is pushing for guarantees regarding Kurdish rights and anti-ISIS cooperation. The alternative, prolonged separation, could lead to instability or the resurgence of ISIS. This integration, supported by US diplomacy, represents the strongest chance to date for Kurds to secure permanent rights and security within a recognized Syrian nation-state.
In Syria, the United States is focused on: 1) Ensuring the security of prisons currently guarded by the SDF that hold ISIS detainees; and 2) Facilitating talks between the SDF and the Syrian Government to enable the peaceful integration of the SDF and the political inclusion of the Syrian Kurdish population into historic full Syrian citizenship.