The January 17 Secret: How Washington Traded the SDF for a Partnership with Damascus

According to a detailed Reuters report, a pivotal meeting on January 17, 2026, marked the formal end of the U.S.-SDF alliance. U.S. envoy Tom Barrack reportedly met with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, delivering a blunt message: "America’s interests now lie with Al-Sharaa, not the SDF." This shift positions President Ahmed Al-Sharaa as the preferred partner for the Trump administration.

The decision follows the expiration of a one-year deadline for the SDF to integrate into the Syrian central government. Washington now views a unified Syria under Al-Sharaa as the most effective way to maintain regional stability and counter ISIS remnants. While Kurdish officials expressed outrage, calling the move a "betrayal of principles," the U.S. military’s minimal intervention during recent Syrian Army advances signals a definitive strategic pivot in North-East Syria.