Click to see full-size image. Source: sdf-press.com
The United States abandoned the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) because the Kurdish-led group refused a request to fight the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq, Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), revealed on January 20.
The SDF was founded more than ten years ago with direct support from the U.S. in order to battle ISIS in Syria, specifically in the northeastern part of the country.
The PMF was formed by Iran-aligned armed factions in Iraq at around the same time, also to fight the terrorist group, and was later recognized by the government.
The U.S., which has been pressuring the Iraqi government to disarm PMF factions, recently stood on the side as the Islamist-led Syrian government launched a large-scale offensive against its Kurdish allies. Within a few days, the group lost most of its territories in the northeast of the country.
The recent remarks by the director of SOHR, which were made during an interview with Kurdistan 24, explains why Washington abandoned the Kurdish-led group in Syria.
Abdulrahman said that the SDF rejected the U.S. request to fight the PMF, emphasizing that its mission is limited to protecting its areas within Syria.
He noted that “it seems that Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said, ‘we are fighting the Popular Mobilization Forces,’ so the SDF withdrew from Deir Ezzor and handed the area over to al-Sharaa and his forces.”
Abdulrahman also warned the Iraqi government to secure its borders for fear of ISIS members infiltrating Iraq. He pointed out that the U.S. withdrew its support for the SDF within a short period, which contributed to the exacerbation of security threats and the rise of terrorist groups in the areas where they are deployed
While advancing in northeastern Syria, specifically in Deir Ezzor, government troops and allied Arab tribesmen freed many ISIS detainees.
Abdulrahman’s remarks were not surprising. Commenting on a four-day ceasefire announced by the Syrian government on January 20, U.S. envoy Tom Barrack voiced his support for Sharaa, and declared that the purpose of the SDF had “expired.”
“Today, the situation has fundamentally changed. Syria now has an acknowledged central government that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS (as its 90th member in late 2025), signaling a westward pivot and cooperation with the US on counterterrorism. This shifts the rationale for the US-SDF partnership: the original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps,” he said in a lengthy post on X.
The Iraqi military, security forces, and the PMF, in addition to the forces of the autonomous region of Kurdistan, deployed massive reinforcements along the border with Syria as the attack on the SDF there began to gain momentum in the last few days.
Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al-Shammari warned on January 19 that his country’s forces will open fire at any member of ISIS in Syria who approaches the border.
And on January 21, Iraqi caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad Al-Sudani visited the border and inspected the forces deployed there.
The ceasefire in northeastern Syria is fragile and an understanding to merge the SDF into the government does not appear to be moving forward. The battle there will likely resume soon, and the Kurds could end up getting defeated.
Amid these developments, the U.S. is reported to be preparing to attack Iran. Washington may be in a hurry for government forces to take over all of northeastern Syria because of this. The threat coming from Syria, whether it is by the government or ISIS, will prevent Iran-aligned factions there from intervening in any conflict.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
