Meanwhile, ISIL forces were driven from the Khabur valley in course of the Western al-Hasakah offensive in May 2015. Following the reconquest, however, the various Christian militias including the Khabour Guards, looted local villages under the guise of searching for ISIL holdouts. In the following years, the militia mostly stayed neutral, though some Khabour Guards fought with the YPG in the Manbij offensive. On 25 February 2017, the Assyrian Democratic Party agreed to join the Syrian Democratic Council, while the YPG handed over security in the Assyrian towns along the Khabur River to the Khabour Guards and Nattoreh. The two groups consequently joined the Syrian Democratic Forces. On 20 September 2018, the Assyrian Democratic Party announced the formation of the "General Command of the Assyrian Forces" which was supposed to serve as umbrella organization for its affiliated paramilitaries including the Khabour Guards. The latter left the "Assyrian Forces" three months later, however, resulting in accusations that the SDF had influenced the Khabour Guards.