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TheSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has manymilitary councils for local security and defense, each being accountable to thecivil council of the area they operate in.[1]
In 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces established four military councils (three west of theEuphrates) in order to facilitate and conductmilitary operations; theManbij Military Council, theal-Bab Military Council, theJarabulus Military Council, and theDeir ez-Zor Military Council.
In 2017, theIdlib Military Council was founded in an attempt to gain influence inIdlib Governorate, much of which is controlled byTurkish-backedopposition groups.[2]
In 2019, the SDF started to form new military councils in order to bothdecentralize the SDF, and to unify the military and security forces in the region.[1] As of June 2019, the military councils formed during this decentralization are theKobanî Military Council, theTal Abyad Military Council, theTabqa Military Council, theal-Hawl Military Council, theQamishli Military Council, theRaqqa Military Council, theSerê Kaniyê Military Council, theDerik Military Council, theHasakah Military Council, and theAmuda Military Council.
TheManbij Military Council (MMC) is a coalition established by several groups in the SDF, theNorthern Sun Battalion and theSeljuk Brigade, on 2 April 2016 at theTishrin Dam on theEuphrates. The military council aimed to capture the city ofManbij across the river and many of the council members are local fighters from the surrounding areas.
TheAl-Bab Military Council (BMC) is an ethnically mixed force of theSyrian Democratic Forces, consisting ofKurdish,Arab, andTurkmen militias from northernAleppo Governorate. The BMC currently maintains a presence in several villages west ofManbij, though its stated goal is to captureal-Bab, currently under theTurkish occupation of northern Syria.
| Jarabulus Military Council | |
|---|---|
| مجلس جرابلس العسكري | |
 Flag of the Jarablus Military Council | |
| Leaders | |
| Dates of operation | August 2016 – present |
| Groups |
|
| Headquarters | Manbij |
| Active regions | Manbij District,Aleppo Governorate |
| Part of |  Syrian Democratic Forces |
| Battles and wars | |
TheJarabulus Military Council is an SDF coalition in the Shahba Region formed by local fighters from the city ofJarabulus and the surrounding areas, who had fled from ISIL.[7]
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 theTurkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War, and the SDF have accused Turkish military intelligence of organizing the assassination.[3]
The Jarabulus Military Council took part in the resistance against the2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, attacking Turkish-backed forces in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo.[8]
TheDeir ez-Zor Military Council is anArab-majority militia of theSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF), based in theDeir ez-Zor Governorate. It joined the SDF in 2016, having previously been part of theFree Syrian Army.
Smaller military councils in the Deir ez-Zor region include:Al-Kasra Military Council,Al-Suar Military Council,Hajin Military Council, andAl-Busayrah Military Council.[9]
| Idlib Military Council | |
|---|---|
| مجلس إدلب العسكري | |
 Logo of the Idlib Military Council | |
| Leaders | Abu Ammar al-Idlibi |
| Dates of operation | October 21, 2017 – Unknown |
| Group | Northern Democratic Brigade |
| Headquarters | Idlib,Idlib Governorate |
| Active regions | Idlib Governorate |
| Part of | Syrian Democratic Forces |
| Allies | People's Protection Units |
| Opponents |  Turkey Syria Tahrir al-Sham Syrian National Army National Front for Liberation |
| Battles and wars | |
TheIdlib Military Council was proposed, and partially organized by the SDF in an attempt to gain influence inIdlib Governorate and counter Turkey and the Syrian Army in the region. It was reportedly established in late 2017, with an official formation video filmed inIdlib being released on 21 October 2017 claiming that the council seeks to revive the Syrian revolution and expand it into combatingterrorism and foreign occupation. In the video the council also declared its willingness to fightJabhat al-Nusra and rid Idlib from their presence, the speaker in the video also described the council's opposition to the Syrian government andBashar al-Assad and their support for the Syrian rebellion, though the council mostly disappeared thereafter.[2][10] In March 2018, however, the Idlib Military Council and other SDF units condemned the Turkish-ledOperation Olive Branch againstAfrin Canton and declared to help the YPG in defending the canton.[11][12]
The council is also openly linked with the Syrian Democratic Forces' component theNorthern Democratic Brigade 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 expelTurkish forces as well as rival groups active in the area.[2]
The Kobanî Military Council (Kurdish:Meclisa Leşkerî Ya Kobanî[13]) was established on 16 June 2019, with Ismat Sheikh Hassan as its commander.[14]
The Tal Abyad Military Council (Arabic:مجلس تل أبيض العسكري,Kurdish:Meclisa Leşkerî A Girê Spî) was established on 17 June 2019, with Riyad Khamis al-Khalaf as its leader.[15] As a part of theSDF-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 theAmerican military.[16][17]
The Tabqa Military Council (Arabic:مجلس الطبقة العسكري) was established on 18 June 2019, with the Council being headed by Mohammed Raouf.[18]
Tha al-Hawl Military Council (Arabic:المجلس العسكري لقطاع الهول,Kurdish:Meclisa Leşkerî Ya Eyaleta Holê) was founded on 19 June 2019.[19]
The Qamishli Military Council (Kurdish:Meclisa Leşkerî A Qamişlo) was founded on 20 June 2019, with Piling Qamişlo being one of its co-presidents.[20]
The Raqqa Military Council (Arabic:مجلس الرقة العسكري,Kurdish: Meclisa Leşkerî ya Reqayê) was founded on 21 June 2019, with Farhan al-Askar as its commander.[21] The council's Martyr Ilan Kobanê Brigade fought in the2020 Ayn Issa clashes.[22]
| Serê Kaniyê Military Council | |
|---|---|
 Flag of the Serê Kaniyê Military Council | |
| Dates of operation | 27 June 2019-Present |
| Opponents | TurkeySyrian National Army |
| Battles and wars | |
The Serê Kaniyê Military Council (Arabic:مجلس سرﻱ كانییه العسكرﻱ,Kurdish:Meclisa Leşgerî YaWaşûkanî) was founded on 27 June 2019.[23] As a part of theSDF-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 theAmerican military on 4 September and 8 September 2019.[24][17]
The Derik Military Council (Kurdish:Meclisa Leşkerî Ya Dêrikê) was founded on 30 June 2019, with Kurdistan Dêrik as one of its co-presidents.[25]
The Hasakah Military Council (Kurdish:Meclisa Leşgerî A Hesekê) was formed on 4 July 2019.[26]
The Amuda Military Council (Kurdish:Meclisa Leşgerî A Amûdê,Arabic:مجلس عامودا العسكري) was founded on 4 July 2019, with Amed Amûdê as its commander.[27][28]
The Ayn Issa Military Council,[29] also known as Girê Spî SDF Military Council,[30] is active since at least late 2020. It took part in the2020–21 Ayn Issa clashes.[29]
