US envoy says SDF's anti-Daesh role 'expired' as Syrian state reassumes control

In a significant policy statement, U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack asserted on Tuesday that the primary counter-Daesh role of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has "largely expired." Barrack argued that the Syrian state is now ready to assume full security responsibilities, framing the path forward as the integration of Kurdish populations into a unified Syrian nation.

A Shift in Justification for U.S. Presence

Barrack, writing on social media platform X, acknowledged that the historical justification for the U.S. military presence in northeastern Syria was its "counter-Daesh partnership" with the SDF. He noted this was established during a period when no functioning central government existed. However, he pointed to a "fundamental" transformation: the entry of Damascus into the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS as its 90th member in late 2025. This development, according to the envoy, positions the Syrian government as "willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities," including control of critical facilities like Daesh prisons.

Outlining a Pathway for Kurdish Integration

The U.S. envoy's comments align with the recent agreement between Damascus and the SDF, which involves the transfer of key infrastructure, border crossings, and detention facilities to the Syrian state. Barrack emphasized that Washington's priorities are "supporting reconciliation, and advancing national unity without endorsing separatism or federalism." He suggested that Kurds would find their "greatest opportunity" not in semi-autonomy but in the "post-Assad transition," offering a "pathway to full integration" into a unified state with guarantees for citizenship, cultural rights, and political participation.

A Strategic Pivot and its Regional Implications

This statement signals a potential strategic pivot in U.S. policy, moving from reliance on a non-state militia toward engagement with the central government in Damascus for long-term stability. It implicitly questions the future rationale for a continued U.S. military footprint in areas currently controlled by the SDF. For regional actors, this shift recalibrates the geopolitical landscape, placing renewed emphasis on state sovereignty and a political resolution to the Kurdish question within Syria's existing borders.

Vindication of Türkiye's Longstanding Policy

For Türkiye, Barrack's statement represents a profound vindication of its decade-long foreign policy. Ankara has consistently argued that the U.S. partnership with the SDF—which it identifies as the Syrian branch of the PKK terrorist organization (YPG)—was a grave strategic error that undermined Syrian sovereignty and directly threatened Turkish national security. Türkiye has always maintained that the legitimate fight against Daesh and the preservation of Syria's territorial integrity must be led by the Syrian state. The U.S. envoy's acknowledgment that the SDF's role is obsolete and that the future lies in Kurdish integration into a unified Syria aligns perfectly with Türkiye's core objectives: the elimination of PKK/YPG terrorist presence along its border and the restoration of Syrian state authority across all its territory.