Syrian Democratic Forces

The Syrian Democratic Forces (قوات سوريا الديمقراطية, Hêzên Sûriya Demokratîk) or SDF, are an alliance of Kurdish, Arab, Assyrians and Armenian militias established during the Syrian Civil War. Founded in October 2015, they seek to expel the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant from the Ar-Raqqah Governorate and other areas in Syria. The SDF consider themselves a "unified national military force to all Syrians consisting of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and all others living in the geographical locations of Syria." Furthermore, they are aiming to build a self-governing, inclusive and democratic Syria.

The alliance builds upon the successful Euphrates Volcano joint operations of the Syrian Kurdish YPG and certain factions of the Free Syrian Army, who helped defend the Kurdish town of Kobanê. Euphrates Volcano was later joined by Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa, who participated in the capture of Tell Abyad from the Islamic State. The larger Syrian Democratic Forces alliance now also includes forces from self-administered Jazira Canton as the Christian Syriac Military Council and the largely pro-government Al-Sanadid Forces, who helped the YPG in purging the IS from Al-Hasakah.

With a strength of around 4,000 fighters, the Arab groups within the alliance will operate under the joint name Syrian Arab Coalition and will be committed to push down towards ISIS de facto capital Ar-Raqqah, while staying east of the Euphrates river. Some of the remaining U.S.-Pentagon-trained rebels will also be part of the new forces, tasked with "calling in airstrikes against ISIS and recruiting moderate rebels".

Establishment
The establishment was announced on 11 October 2015. The alliance was officially established during a press conference in al-Hasakah.

Signatory groups
The following thirteen groups signed the founding document:


 * 1) People's Protection Units (YPG)
 * 2) Women's Protection Units (YPJ)
 * 3) Al-Sanadid Forces
 * 4) Syriac Military Council (MFS)
 * 5) Euphrates Volcano
 * 6) Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa
 * 7) Northern Sun Battalion
 * 8) Seljuk Brigade
 * 9) Brigade Groups of Al-Jazira
 * 10) Jabhat al-Akrad
 * 11) Jaysh al-Thuwar
 * 12) * Jabhat al-Akrad
 * 13) * 99th Brigade
 * 14) * Special Operations Center 455
 * 15) * Seljuk Brigade
 * 16) * Ahrar Al-Zawiya
 * 17) * Yavuz Sultan Selim Brigade
 * 18) * Liwa Shuhada al-Atarib
 * 19) Al-Tahrir Brigade
 * 20) Lîwai 99 Muşat

Acceeding groups
At the end of October, the tribal Liwaa Siqur El-Badiye group joined the SDF to fight ISIL in the southern countryside of Hasakah province.

On 15 November, former FSA group Furat Jarablus announced its accession to the Syrian Democratic Forces.

Request by Idlib and Aleppo groups
In November 2015, 15 rebel groups in Aleppo and Idlib governorates expressed their readiness to be part of the Syrian Democratic Forces. However, the SDF has made no reply to their request. The groups are:
 * Jaysh al-Thuwar (Idlib and Aleppo branches)
 * New Syrian Forces (Idlib and Aleppo branches)
 * Idlib Countryside Martyrs Brigade
 * Ayn Jalout Brigade
 * 99th Brigade
 * al-Hamzah Brigade
 * al-Qaqa Brigade
 * Special Operations Center 455
 * Seljuk Brigade
 * Regiment 102
 * Ahrar al-Shamal
 * Tribal Forces in Aleppo and it countryside
 * Jabhat al-Akrad (Aleppo)
 * YPG and YPJ (Sheikh Maqsood)

Support by the U.S. led alliance
On 12 October 2015, the Pentagon confirmed U.S. C-17 transport aircraft having dropped 100 pallets with 45 tons of arms and ammunition over Northern Syria to benefit "Arab groups." YPG spokesman Polat Can confirmed the airdrop over Rojava, identifying the freight as being "assault rifles, mortars and ammunition, but no TOW anti-tank missiles nor anti-aircraft weapons." However, the main Arab groups within the Syrian Arab Coalition denied that they received the shipment and pointed out that the airdrop may have been intended for their Kurdish allies.

While the weapons are primarily intended for the Arab affiliates turning towards Raqqa, Can reiterated the Kurds’ first priority was linking the Kurdish enclave of Afrin with Kobani, thereby clearing the remaining 60 miles of Syria–Turkey border, including the border town of Jarablus, from IS occupation. YPG General commander Sipan Hemo however told the London-based al-Hayat newspaper that an attack on the IS headquarters in ar-Raqqah was expected "within weeks."

The airdrop came only days after the Pentagon had officially abandoned its failed $500m train-and-equip program of "moderate rebels" fighting ISIS. It was mildly criticized by Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, who feared "at least a considerable part of these weapons will fall into the terrorists’ hands."