The

Syrian Democratic Forces The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is a Kurds in Syria, Kurdish-led coalition of U.S.-backed Left-wing politics, left-wing ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the Democratic Autonomous Administration ...

(SDF) has many military councils for local security and defense, each being accountable to the civil council of the area they operate in. In 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces established four military councils (three west of the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

) in order to facilitate and conduct

military operation A military operation (op) is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operati ...

s; the

Manbij Manbij (; ; ) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000.

Military Council, the

al-Bab Al-Bab ( / ALA-LC: ''al-Bāb'') is a Syrian city, administratively belonging to the Aleppo Governorate. Al-Bab is located northeast of Aleppo, south of the Turkish border, and has an area of . Al-Bab has an altitude of . According to the Cen ...

Military Council, the

Jarabulus Jarabulus (, ALA-LC: , Syrian Arabic, Aleppo dialect: ; or ; ) is a Syrian city administratively belonging to Aleppo Governorate, under the de facto control of the Syrian Opposition. Jarabulus lies on the western bank of the Euphrates and north ...

Military Council, and the

Deir ez-Zor Deir ez-Zor () is the largest city in eastern Syria and the seventh largest in the country. Located on the banks of the Euphrates to the northeast of the capital Damascus, Deir ez-Zor is the capital of the Deir ez-Zor Governorate. In the 2018 ...

Military Council. In 2017, the

Idlib Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level, and is southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey. History ...

Military Council was founded in an attempt to gain influence in

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...

, much of which is controlled by Turkish-backed opposition groups. In 2019, the SDF started to form new military councils in order to both decentralize the SDF, and to unify the military and security forces in the region. As of June 2019, the military councils formed during this decentralization are the Kobanî Military Council, the

Tal Abyad Tell Abyad is a town in northern Syria. It is the administrative center of the Tell Abyad District within the Raqqa Governorate. Located along the Balikh River, it constitutes a divided city with the bordering city of Akçakale in Turkey. History ...

Military Council, the Tabqa Military Council, the

al-Hawl Al-Hawl (), also spelled al-Hole, al-Hol, al-Hool and al-Houl, is a town in eastern al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria, under control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. It is the administrative center of the Al-Haw ...

Military Council, the

Qamishli Qamishli is a city in northeastern Syria on the Syria–Turkey border, adjoining the city of Nusaybin in Turkey. The Jaghjagh River flows through the city. With a 2004 census population of 184,231, it is the List of cities in Syria, ninth most-po ...

Military Council, the

Raqqa Raqqa (, also , Kurdish language, Kurdish: ''Reqa'') is a city in Syria on the North bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city and b ...

Military Council, the Serê Kaniyê Military Council, the

Derik Derik () is a municipality and district of Mardin Province, Turkey. Its area is 1,381 km2, and its population is 62,028 (2022). History The town is first mentioned in the late 14th century, however a Roman fort indicates that the area has be ...

Military Council, the

Hasakah Al-Hasakah (; / ; ) is a city in northeastern Syria and the capital of the Al-Hasakah Governorate. With a 2023 estimated population of 422,445, Al-Hasakah is populated by Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and a smaller number of Armenians and Chechens. Al ...

Military Council, and the

Amuda Amuda (, ) is a town in Al Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria close to the Syria–Turkey border. As a result of the ongoing civil war, Amuda is currently under the civil control of the AANES and military control of the SDF. History ...

Military Council.

Manbij

The Manbij Military Council (MMC) is a coalition established by several groups in the SDF, the Northern Sun Battalion and the

Seljuk Brigade The Seljuk Brigade (, ) is a Syrian Turkmen rebel group participating in the Syrian civil war, named after the Seljuk Turks. History The Seljuk Brigade was founded in early 2013 in the northern Aleppo Governorate by Colonel Talal Ali Silo an ...

, on 2 April 2016 at the

Tishrin Dam The Tishrin Dam (; ) is a dam on the Euphrates river, located east of Aleppo in Aleppo Governorate, Syria. The dam is high, and has 6 water turbines capable of producing 630 MW. Construction took place between 1991 and 1999. Rescue excavat ...

on the

. The military council aimed to capture the city of

Manbij Manbij (; ; ) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000.

across the river and many of the council members are local fighters from the surrounding areas.

Al-Bab

The Al-Bab Military Council (BMC) is an ethnically mixed force of the

, consisting of

Kurd Kurds (), or the Kurdish people, are an Iranian peoples, Iranic ethnic group from West Asia. They are indigenous to Kurdistan, which is a geographic region spanning southeastern Turkey, northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, and northeastern Syri ...

ish,

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

, and Turkmen militias from northern

Aleppo Governorate Aleppo Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Ḥalab'' ) is one of the fourteen Governorates of Syria, governorates of Syria. It is the most populous governorate in Syria with a population of more than 4,867,000 (2011 Est.), almost 23% of the t ...

. The BMC currently maintains a presence in several villages west of

Manbij Manbij (; ; ) is a city in the northeast of Aleppo Governorate in northern Syria, west of the Euphrates. The 2004 census gives its population as nearly 100,000.

, though its stated goal is to capture

, currently under the

Turkish occupation of northern Syria The Turkish Armed Forces and its ally the Syrian National Army have Turkish involvement in the Syrian Civil War, occupied areas of northern Syria since August 2016, during the Syrian civil war. Though these areas nominally acknowledge a governm ...

Jarabulus

The Jarabulus Military Council is an SDF coalition in the Shahba Region formed by local fighters from the city of

and the surrounding areas, who had fled from ISIL. Abdel Sattar al-Jader, the initial leader of the Jarabulus Military Council and the commander of the Euphrates Jarabulus Brigades, was assassinated just prior to the Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, and the SDF have accused Turkish military intelligence of organizing the assassination. The Jarabulus Military Council took part in the resistance against the

2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria On 9 October 2019, the Turkish Armed Forces (TAF) and the Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an offensive against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and later it involved the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) in northern Syria. It was code-named the Op ...

, attacking Turkish-backed forces in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.

Deir ez-Zor

The Deir ez-Zor Military Council is an

-majority militia of the

(SDF), based in the

Deir ez-Zor Governorate Deir ez-Zor Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Dayr az-Zawr,'' Kurdish'':'' ''Parêzgeha Dêrezor'') is one of the fourteen governorates (provinces) of Syria. It is situated in eastern Syria, bordering Iraq. It has an area of 33,060 k ...

. It joined the SDF in 2016, having previously been part of the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

Idlib

The Idlib Military Council was proposed, and partially organized by the SDF in an attempt to gain influence in

and counter Turkey and the Syrian Army in the region. It was reportedly established in late 2017, with an official formation video filmed in

being released on 21 October 2017 claiming that the council seeks to revive the Syrian revolution and expand it into combating

terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...

and foreign occupation. In the video the council also declared its willingness to fight Jabhat al-Nusra and rid Idlib from their presence, the speaker in the video also described the council's opposition to the Syrian government and

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

and their support for the Syrian rebellion, though the council mostly disappeared thereafter. In March 2018, however, the Idlib Military Council and other SDF units condemned the Turkish-led

Operation Olive Branch Operation Olive Branch () was an invasion by the Turkish Armed Forces and Syrian National Army (SNA) in the Kurdish-majority Afrin District of northwest Syria, against the People's Protection Units (YPG) of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Th ...

against

Afrin Canton Afrin Canton (; ; ) was one of the cantons of Rojava. Syria's Afrin District fell under the control of the People's Protection Units (YPG) around 2012 and an "Afrin Canton" (now Afrin Region) was declared in 2014. Afrin Canton in its latest form ...

and declared to help the YPG in defending the canton. The council is also openly linked with the Syrian Democratic Forces' component the

Northern Democratic Brigade The Northern Democratic Brigade () is a Free Syrian Army unit that is closely allied to the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units, YPG and Women's Protection Units, YPJ in Afrin Region since 2014. Led by Abu Omar al-Idlibi, Absi Taha, Alexander ...

with the group's leader Abu Ammar al-Idlibi stating his group's ambitions to expand operations into the Idlib Governorate and eventually control it and expel Turkish forces as well as rival groups active in the area.

Military councils formed since 2019

Kobanî

The Kobanî Military Council () was established on 16 June 2019, with Ismat Sheikh Hassan as its commander.

Tal Abyad

The Tal Abyad Military Council (, ) was established on 17 June 2019, with Riyad Khamis al-Khalaf as its leader. As a part of the SDF-US-Turkish buffer zone deal, the Tal Abyad Military Council filled positions left by the YPG in the Tal Abyad area, and has conducted joint patrols with the American military.

Tabqa

The Tabqa Military Council () was established on 18 June 2019, with the Council being headed by Mohammed Raouf.

Al-Hawl

Tha al-Hawl Military Council (, ) was founded on 19 June 2019.

Qamishli

The Qamishli Military Council () was founded on 20 June 2019, with Piling Qamişlo being one of its co-presidents.

Raqqa

The Raqqa Military Council (,

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

: Meclisa Leşkerî ya Reqayê) was founded on 21 June 2019, with Farhan al-Askar as its commander. The council's Martyr Ilan Kobanê Brigade fought in the 2020 Ayn Issa clashes.

Serê Kaniyê

Sere kaniye sdf milcouncil fort destruction

The Serê Kaniyê Military Council (, ) was founded on 27 June 2019. As a part of the SDF-US-Turkish buffer zone deal, the Serê Kaniyê Military Council filled positions left by the YPG in the Serê Kaniyê area, and has conducted joint patrols with the American military on 4 September and 8 September 2019.

Derik

The Derik Military Council () was founded on 30 June 2019, with Kurdistan Dêrik as one of its co-presidents.

Hasakah

The Hasakah Military Council () was formed on 4 July 2019.

Amuda

The Amuda Military Council (, ) was founded on 4 July 2019, with Amed Amûdê as its commander.

Ayn Issa

The Ayn Issa Military Council, also known as Girê Spî SDF Military Council, is active since at least late 2020. It took part in the 2020–21 Ayn Issa clashes.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Syrian Democratic Forces military councils *military councils Anti-ISIL factions in Syria Military units and factions of the Syrian civil war Military units and formations established in 2016