According to Kurdpress, three well-informed sources told Al-Monitor that the withdrawal process of non-Syrian PKK forces was initiated after the January 22 meeting between SDF Commander-in-Chief Mazloum Kobani and Iraqi Kurdistan Regional President Nechirvan Barzani. According to these sources, Barzani described this action as a necessary step to build confidence in the implementation of the agreement with Damascus, and Kobani also agreed to it.

The January 30 agreement between the SDF and the Syrian interim government is a modified version of the previous January 18 agreement; The first agreement led to several weeks of clashes that left dozens dead and during which the self-governing structure of northeastern Syria lost more than 80% of the areas under its control. In the amended version, the SDF was allowed to maintain four military brigades, although these brigades would be under the command of the Syrian National Army; A privilege that was one of the main demands of the Kurds to reduce their security concerns.

Türkiye has previously strongly opposed maintaining any independent structure for the SDF, viewing it as a security threat due to its ties to the PKK. According to one of the sources, after learning that Kobani agreed to the withdrawal of non-Syrian PKK forces, Ankara was "extremely pleased" with this decision; An issue that probably contributed to the softening of Türkiye's position regarding the maintenance of the four SDF brigades.

The exact number of transferred troops is still not clear and the transfer process continues. Many current Syrian Kurdish leaders, including Kobani himself, were involved in the PKK structure before returning to Syria in 2011 and organizing the Kurdish Defense Forces.