Former Kurdish commander Mazloum Abdi has been appointed as an adviser to the Syrian presidency, marking his transition from a military leader to a political role after years of leading internationally supported forces against the Islamic State group in Syria.
Having joined the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in 1990 and now announcing the dissolution of the Kurdish‑led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Mazloum Abdi has built considerable influence among Syria’s Kurds.
He led the SDF for over a decade, serving as the de facto army of the Kurds’ semi‑autonomous administration in northern and northeastern Syria, a territory they seized from IS during the civil war.
During his tenure, Abdi cultivated strong ties with several countries, most notably the United States, which has been the SDF’s primary backer.
Born in 1967 in the Kobane area of northern Syria near the Turkish border, Abdi was long seen in fatigues—portraying a modest, quietly spoken yet astute military leader who prefers his native Kurdish over Arabic.
Since the new Syrian authorities seized power in 2024, ousting longtime ruler Bashar al‑Assad after nearly 14 years of war, Abdi has been compelled to make major compromises.
After arduous negotiations with new President Ahmed al‑Sharaa—sometimes conducted under fire—he agreed in January to an integration deal that effectively ended Kurdish aspirations for autonomy.
Nanar Hawach, a Syria analyst at the International Crisis Group, said Abdi was among the “PKK veterans” who founded the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria, an announcement made after the civil war began in 2011.
The PKK, designated a terrorist organization by Turkey and its Western allies, waged a decades‑long deadly insurgency against Ankara before formally renouncing its armed struggle last year.
Abdi gained prominence in Syria during the battle for Kobane, a conflict that became symbolic for the Kurds after their 2015 victory over IS jihadists following months of intense fighting.
Pragmatism
The SDF was established that year at the United States’ urging, with the YPG as its core but also incorporating Arab fighters.
Throughout the civil war, Abdi navigated a delicate balancing act among various parties, including Washington—a Turkish ally that launched cross‑border offensives against Syrian Kurdish fighters it regards as PKK affiliates.
He also maintained cautious ties with the Assad government, which accused the Kurds of separatism, and with its ally Russia.
Following Assad’s ouster, Abdi signaled openness to the new authorities and began negotiations as the balance of power shifted and Western powers, including Washington, moved to support Sharaa.
Having studied engineering in Aleppo, Abdi was reportedly close to PKK founder Abdullah Öcalan, who is now imprisoned, and participated in clashes inside Turkey, which led to his arrest in Syria under Hafez al‑Assad in the 1990s.
Abdi has said he later traveled to Europe and then to Iraq, where the PKK maintained a long‑standing rear base in the northern region.
He was identified in the presidential decree as Mustafa Khalil Abdi and has also been known by other names, including Ferhat Abdi Sahin and Mazloum Kobane.
He remains on Turkey’s list of wanted terrorists, carrying a bounty on his head and an Interpol red notice.
In 2023, an attack blamed on Turkey struck Sulaimaniyah airport in Iraqi Kurdistan while he was present.
The appointment announced on Friday signals a new phase for Abdi as Syria’s Kurds aim to contribute to the country’s reconstruction.
One of Abdi’s confidants told AFP that the Kurdish leader “combines political flexibility and pragmatism to achieve the goals and legitimate rights of his people’s cause.”
He looks for “what is possible and what can perhaps be built upon in the future,” they added, requesting anonymity.