US envoy says SDF’s role in Syria has ‘largely expired’ after ISIL

In January 2026, US Envoy Tom Barrack stated that the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) role as the primary anti-ISIS force in Syria has largely ended. Barrack cited the Syrian government's willingness and ability to assume security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities, as the reason for the shift. He noted that Syria joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in late 2025. Barrack suggested this creates an opportunity for Kurds to integrate into Syrian society, following a government announcement granting them citizenship rights and language protections. Al Jazeera reports this shift may signal a weakening of the US relationship with the SDF, whom they have supported for over a decade.

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