Forty-nine former members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including two women, were released and transferred to northeast Syria (Rojava) on Wednesday as part of ongoing efforts to implement the January 29 agreement between Damascus and Rojava, local officials told Rudaw.

Mahmoud Khalil Ali, widely known as Siamand Afrin and deputy commander of general security in Rojava’s Hasaka province, told Rudaw that the latest group consisted of 49 SDF fighters, two of them women.

The release is part of a broader process outlined in the January 29 agreement, which calls for the integration of Rojava’s civil and military institutions into the Syrian state and includes provisions for the release of detainees.

Ahmed al-Hilali, deputy governor of Hasaka and a member of Damascus’ team overseeing the integration process, said in June that more than 1,200 detainees affiliated with the SDF had been released by the Syrian leadership.

Hilali said SDF authorities had estimated that 1,070 people were being held in Syrian custody. However, following inspections of several prisons and detention centers, more than 1,200 SDF-affiliated detainees were ultimately released.

He said the Syrian government had committed to releasing detainees whose only reason for being held was their membership in the SDF. Cases involving individuals facing other charges, however, remained unresolved.

The January 29 agreement was reached following a period of intense fighting in mid-January, when Syrian government forces and allied armed groups captured territory previously controlled by the SDF in parts of eastern Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Hasaka provinces.

The SDF had served as the de facto military force in Rojava and was a key ground partner of the US-led Global Coalition against ISIS. It played a major role in defeating the extremist group in areas of northeastern Syria and maintaining security in territories previously held by ISIS.

Former SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced the dissolution of the group in late August, saying its mission had been “complete.” The announcement came after a meeting between Abdi and Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. The following day, al-Sharaa appointed Abdi as a presidential adviser.

In addition to provisions concerning detainees, the January 29 agreement includes a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire and arrangements for integrating Rojava’s civil and military institutions into the Syrian state.