Sinam Sherkany Mohamad is the Chief of Mission of the US Mission of the Syrian Democratic Council in Washington DC. She is a Kurdish woman from Afrin in northern Syria.

Nine years ago, ISIS, the world’s wealthiest and most powerful terrorist organization, had much of Syria trapped under its tyrannical rule. Armed with weapons seized from the Iraqi and Syrian militaries, and funded by stolen oil, their march on Iraq and Syria had been swift and destructive. 

But in 2014, in the city of Kobani in northeast Syria, the successful resistance of the Kurdish YPG provided the United States with the first opportunity to inflict a major defeat on ISIS in Syria, and with the support of US airstrikes and supplies, the YPG did just that. By October of 2015, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were formed as a multi-ethnic coalition of Arabs, Kurds, and Syriacs, united by their belief in a democratic Syria, and the necessity of defeating ISIS.

Northeast Syria has seen sweeping changes since the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) was first established in 2015. Over the course of the following four years, the SDF and US-led Coalition to Defeat ISIS together  managed to liberate thousands of square miles of territory from the terrorist group, including major cities such as Tabqa, Manbij, and even the organization’s self-proclaimed capital, Raqqa. The Caliphate’s final death blow was struck in March 2019, in Baghuz, Deir-ez-Zor, marking the greatest moment of success in this partnership.

The Syrian Democratic Forces has come to number approximately 100,000 fighters, representing the diverse nature of northeast Syria in the dozens of units that make up the force, which consist of Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Armenians, and others that call the region home. The SDF and US have continued their partnership against ISIS, which has transitioned to asymmetric guerilla warfare forces that now police and protect the region. Hundreds of ISIS cells have been broken up, millions of dollars of weapons seized, and dozens of leaders have been captured or killed. The organization, despite enduring, has been squarely on the backfoot in the face of SDF and US cooperation. 

Dealing with the thousands of fighters, along with their families, that were taken into custody following the liberation of Baghuz has also been a joint-project of the SDF and the US. Together they have managed to prevent numerous prison-break attempts by ISIS, and tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated individuals have been repatriated to their home countries.

The SDF and the Autonomous Administration’s ability to govern and secure the region is one of the key factors in the success of the counterterrorism-based partnership with the US. The most powerful terrorist organization in history was largely defeated as a result of this partnership, and the region has not seen the group’s resurgence in the form of territorial gains since.

However, that does not mean there have not been setbacks. Several Turkish offensives, and a continuing drone strike campaign against SDF leaders, personnel, and the region’s civilian infrastructure, have led to instability that ISIS has been able to take advantage of. There have been signs of increasing activity by the group, with CENTCOM stating that by July 2024, the group was on pace to more than double the number of attacks it carried out in the whole of 2023. 

US and SDF soldiers conduct joint exercises near Derik, northeast Syria

Together, the SDF and the United States were able to militarily defeat ISIS and liberate all territory the group occupied. However, if the final defeat of ISIS is to take place, this partnership must be strengthened. The Train-and-Equip fund for Syria, which provides the Pentagon with resources to arm and train the SDF, should be increased, along with Economic Support Funds to Syria. Military efforts combined with economic stabilization will deliver the organization’s final defeat by taking away recruitment opportunities and sources of funding, while continuing to apply military pressure.

The US’ partnership with the SDF is the biggest success story of the Global War on Terror, and this both in part to the sacrifices and efforts of our martyrs, and the efforts of the United States, for which we are thankful. Let us work together to strengthen our partnership, defeat terrorism, and stabilize the region, to the benefit of all.

COVER PHOTO: SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi meets with US Central Command (CENTCOM) head General Michael Kurilla