Syrian Democratic Forces

Syrian Democratic Forces
Syrian Democratic Forces
Arabic: قوات سوريا الديمقراطية; Kurdish: Hêzên Sûriya Demokratîk ; هێزى ديموكراتيى سوورى; Syriac: ܚܝ̈ܠܘܬܐ ܕܣܘܪܝܐ ܕܝܡܩܪܛܝܬܐ
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Leaders	SDF General: Mazloum Abdi; SDF Spokesman: Kino Gabriel
Dates of operation	10 October 2015 – present
Allegiance	Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria Syrian Democratic Council;
Group(s)	Groups based in all of Northeastern Syria People's Protection 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; 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; Army of Revolutionaries Martyr Qasim Areef Battalion; ; Jazeera Knights Brigade; Groups based in the Afrin Region, Manbij Region, & 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 Operation Room; Afrin 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 & Al-Thawrah 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 (capital city)
Active regions	Northern Syria Aleppo Governorate; Hasakah Governorate; Raqqa Governorate; Deir ez-Zor Governorate;
Ideology	Democracy; Decentralization; Secularism; Ethnic minority rights; Regionalism; Factions: Libertarian socialism; Tribal autonomy; Kurdish minority interests; Assyrian minority interests; Jineology; Pro-SDF Syrian opposition;
Size	100,000 (2021 estimate)
Allies	United States; United Kingdom; United Arab Emirates (2017-2018); Saudi Arabia (2018); Kurdistan Region; Patriotic Union of Kurdistan; Kurdistan Workers' Party; International Freedom Battalion; France (sometimes); Syria (sometimes); Iraq (sometimes); Egypt (sometimes); Iran (sometimes); Russia (sometimes) Popular Mobilization Forces (sometimes) Liwa al-Tufuf; ; ; 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	Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant; United Arab Emirates (since 2018); Saudi Arabia (since 2018); Syria (sometimes) Popular Resistance of the Eastern Region; ; Iran (sometimes) Liwa Fatemiyoun; ; Hezbollah (sometimes); Syrian National Army; Turkey; Russia (sometimes); Popular Mobilization Forces (sometimes);
Battles and wars	Syrian Civil War Battle of Aleppo; Rojava–Islamist conflict; Al-Hawl offensive; Tishrin Dam offensive; Northern Aleppo offensive (February 2016); Al-Shaddadi offensive (2016); Battle of Tell Abyad (2016); Northern Raqqa offensive (May 2016); 2016 Aleppo campaign; Manbij offensive (2016); Battle of al-Hasakah (2016); Operation Euphrates Shield; Raqqa offensive (2016–2017) Battle of Tabqa Dam (2017); Battle of Raqqa (2017); ; Deir ez-Zor campaign (2017–2019); Operation Olive Branch; Battle of Khasham; Deir ez-Zor Governorate clashes; 2018 Syrian-Turkish border clashes; Eastern Syria Insurgency; 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria; Battle of Qamishli (2021); Battle of al-Hasakah (2022);

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a coalition formed by ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES). The SDF is allied to and supplied by the United States–led CJTF–OIR international alliance. Founded in 10 October 2015, the SDF claims that its mission is fighting to create a secular, democratic and federalised Syria. The SDF is opposed by Turkey, who claims the group has direct links to the PKK, which it recognizes as a terrorist group.

Formed as a rebel alliance in the Syrian civil war, 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 recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey. SDF also includes several ethnic militias, and various factions of the Syrian opposition's Free Syrian Army. Since 2017, the force has been mostly Arab.

The primary opponents of the SDF are the various Islamist and Arab nationalist forces, involved in the civil war, in particular al-Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Syrian National Army (TFSA), the Turkish Armed Forces, and their allies. The SDF has focused primarily on the ISIL, successfully driving them from important strategic areas, such as Al-Hawl, Shaddadi, Tishrin Dam, Manbij, al-Tabqah, Tabqa Dam, Baath 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 the territorial defeat of ISIL, the SDF has increasingly been involved with resisting the growing Turkish occupation of northern Syria.

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