Syria appoints ex-Kurdish SDF commander as presidential advisor after force dissolves
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2 days · 4 summary articles
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed Mazloum Abdi, the former commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, as a presidential advisor on Thursday, according to Decree No. 164 published by the state news agency SANA .
The appointment follows Abdi’s announcement on Tuesday that the SDF had dissolved as an independent military force, citing the completion of its integration into the Syrian army under a 14-point agreement with Damascus . The SDF, once the largest armed group outside state control, had previously fought ISIL with U.S. support and administered large parts of Syria’s oil-rich northeast .
Al-Sharaa and Abdi first agreed to fold the SDF into the central government in March 2025, but progress stalled before a year-end deadline, leading to clashes in January 2026. A subsequent ceasefire placed Raqqa, Deir Az Zor, and Hasakah under government control, with the SDF committing to join the defense and interior ministries . The YPJ, the SDF’s women’s units, remain unabsorbed after the defense ministry cited structural limitations for female units .
Abdi’s advisory role is less prominent than a January offer to serve as deputy defense minister and governor of Hasakah, positions intended to restore state control over the provincial capital . Another Kurdish commander was appointed assistant defense minister for the eastern region earlier this year .
In January, al-Sharaa issued a decree recognizing Kurdish as a national language and restoring citizenship to Syrian Kurds, the first formal acknowledgment of Kurdish rights since Syria’s independence in 1946 . The SDF’s dissolution leaves Damascus with formal authority over nearly all Syrian territory, fulfilling a central pledge of al-Sharaa’s government since the overthrow of former leader Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 .
Türkiye welcomed the SDF’s dissolution, with Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz stating Ankara seeks a stable and unified Syria where all communities live under a single state and army . On Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan granted visa exemptions to Syrian diplomatic passport holders for tourist visits of up to 90 days and transit travel .
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