On March 10, Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), signed an agreement with Syria’s interim President Ahmad al Sharaa. The deal outlines a plan to integrate the SDF and other civil and military institutions in northeastern Syria into the new Damascus administration over the next nine months. The effort will include responsibility for border crossings, an airport, and oil and gas fields, the agreement states.
The deal leaves key questions about what will become of the SDF and how the US-led Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) will operate in Syria in the future. In the lead-up to the agreement and the day after, US forces continued emphasizing their close partnership with the SDF.
On March 7, three days before Abdi signed the deal, US Central Command (CENTCOM) head General Michael Erik Kurilla traveled to eastern Syria, where he met with US military commands and members of the SDF. “Gen. Kurilla received an update on the evolving situation in Syria and an assessment of the ongoing Defeat-ISIS campaign and efforts to prevent the resurgence of the terrorist group in the region,” CENTCOM said. Local reports noted that Kurilla met Abdi, though CENTCOM did not provide specifics on the discussion.
US forces operate in eastern Syria and at the Tanf Garrison in southern Syria near the Jordanian and Iraqi borders. The SDF is the main partner force for the US in Syria, and its creation in 2015 was largely a result of US support for anti-Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria back in 2014. CJTF-OIR was formed on October 17, 2014, and the SDF was founded in October 2015.
By August 2016, the commander of CJTF-OIR said the SDF had pushed IS out of Shaddadi, Hasakah, and Tishreen and was advancing into Manbij. By early 2019, the Islamic State was largely defeated as the SDF took its last holdouts near the Euphrates River. Thousands of IS detainees and their families ended up in camps and detention centers run by the SDF. During this period, the SDF ballooned to up to 60,000 fighters controlling a fifth of Syria. When the Assad regime fell, the SDF was likely the country’s largest and most cohesive individual armed group.
The commanders of Inherent Resolve appear keen to show that the US still works closely with the SDF. The day after Abdi and Sharaa signed the agreement, Inherent Resolve’s X account released a photo of the SDF and noted, “Our Syrian partner forces are always ready for action, mastering the art of coordination and firepower during live-fire exercises.” The SDF also issued a statement describing its relationship with the Coalition. “Our partnership with the International Coalition in the fight against ISIS remains a steadfast guarantee of Syria’s stability and the protection of its people.”
As if to underpin that IS still poses a threat, on March 6, the SDF conducted a raid to capture an IS cell leader with support from CENTCOM. The US Combined Special Ops Joint Task Force-Levant praised the SDF for a “phenomenal job pursuing this ISIS cell and capturing its leader.” CENTCOM has also focused in recent weeks on strikes on Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, Hurras al Din.
A third focus of US efforts in Syria is the Tanf Garrison and the US relationship with the Syrian Free Army (SFA). Elements of the US 10th Mountain Division are operating at the garrison and working closely with the SFA. The SFA, comprised chiefly of hundreds of Arab fighters from Homs province, was largely hemmed in at Tanf during the era of the Bashar al Assad regime. When the Assad regime fell, the group took up duties securing roads and other areas in southern Syria, working with local Bedouins, and clearing unexploded ordnance.
On March 11, the SFA praised the new agreement between Abdi and Sharaa. “We support all efforts made by all parties that support the unity of the Syrian territory and support security and stability towards a prosperous future for all Syrians,” the group said. The statement indicates that the two US partner forces in Syria, the SDF and SFA, are now on the same page.
The overall US posture in Syria continues to lack clarity. During his previous administration, President Donald Trump sought to withdraw US forces from Syria. In recent months, the 2,000 American troops in the country have completed various missions.
On December 12, four days after the Assad regime collapsed, Americans conducted a “force presence patrol” in northeast Syria with Bradley Fighting Vehicles. The US has also conducted a number of recent trainings in eastern Syria. In November 2024, the US 324th Military Police Battalion facilitated the “Specter Castle Detention Facility Guard Training Program.” Another training took place in Al Mazyouna in eastern Syria in late February.
US forces in Syria, such as the Combined Special Operation Joint Task Force-Levant, continue to work with the SDF and SFA. However, the operational tempo appears relatively low in eastern Syria, at least from US military reports. As these groups’ integration with Damascus progresses, the US role in the country could shift.
