What happened
The YPG and allied Arab, Assyrian and other factions announce the Syrian Democratic Forces — a US-backed umbrella built to take the caliphate down, Kurdish-led but multi-ethnic by design, commanded by Mazloum Abdi.
The SDF became the force that defeated ISIS territorially, the military backbone of northeast autonomy, and — after January 2026 — the largest single integration question the new Syrian state faces.
Confidence: High
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