Syrian President Appoints Former SDF Leader Mazloum Abdi as Presidential Advisor

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed Mazloum Abdi, the former commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a presidential advisor. The appointment follows the dissolution of the SDF, which Abdi announced on Tuesday as part of an integration deal with the central government in Damascus. The SDF, which was backed by the United States and served as the de facto army for a semi-autonomous administration in northern and eastern Syria, has now been folded into the Syrian military.

The integration process followed a deal reached in January 2025. Progress on the agreement had previously stalled, leading to clashes in January where state forces seized the cities of Raqqa and Deir Az Zor from the SDF. A subsequent ceasefire placed those cities and Hasakah under central government control and committed the SDF to join the defense and interior ministries. While most forces have been absorbed, the YPJ women's units have not yet joined the defense ministry because the army structure lacks units for women.

As part of the broader agreement, President al-Sharaa issued a decree in January recognizing Kurdish as a national language and restoring citizenship to Syrian Kurds. This represents the first formal recognition of Kurdish rights since Syria's independence in 1946. US special envoy Tom Barrack described the move as a diplomatic solution to strengthen the sovereign nation of Syria.

Mazloum Abdi, a former member of the PKK, has a long history as a military leader who rose to prominence during the battle for Kobane in 2015. He is currently on Turkey's list of wanted terrorists. While some sources describe his transition to a political role as a pragmatic move to secure legitimate rights for the Kurdish people, others note that the dissolution of the SDF marks the end of long-held Kurdish aspirations for autonomy.