By Euronews Turkish and Euronews Arabic
Published on 28/08/2026 – 16:34 GMT+2
Mazloum Abdi, former head of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has been named as an adviser to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, according to a statement released by Syria’s official SANA news agency on Friday. This appointment follows Abdi’s announcement earlier this week that the SDF had officially dissolved and completed its integration into the Syrian national army, ending more than a decade of autonomous Kurdish-led military presence in the region.
The dissolution of the SDF marks the final stage of a process initiated under the terms of a peace agreement signed in January 2026, aimed at unifying Kurdish-controlled areas in northern and northeastern Syria under centralized state governance. U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack praised the move, referring to it as a “genuine integration” and highlighting the appointment of senior Kurdish figures like Abdi as a sign of mutual respect and acknowledgment of Kurdish contributions to regional security.
Profile: Mazloum Abdi
Born Mustafa Khalil Abdi in 1967 in the town of Kobani near the Turkish border, Mazloum Abdi pursued engineering studies at Aleppo University before becoming involved with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the early 1990s. He later operated under various aliases, including Mazloum Kobani and Ferhat Abdi Şahin, and is currently subject to an Interpol Red Notice issued at Turkey’s request, which designates him as a terrorist.
A key figure in establishing the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria after the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, Abdi rose to prominence during the pivotal 2015 siege of Kobani, where Kurdish forces successfully repelled the Islamic State (IS). His leadership during this battle solidified his position as a trusted ally of the United States, which relied heavily on the SDF as its primary ground partner in combating IS across eastern Syria.
Abdi maintained close ties with Abdullah Öcalan, the imprisoned leader of the PKK, who declared in 2025 that the organization would cease armed conflict. Following Öcalan’s call, the PKK formally disbanded its armed wing, although Abdi emphasized that these developments did not extend to the SDF at the time.
Damascus Acknowledges Kurdish Rights
The integration of the SDF into the Syrian military represents the culmination of a political accord signed in January 2026, which outlined the absorption of Kurdish military and civilian institutions into the framework of the central government. On January 16, President al-Sharaa issued a decree granting unprecedented rights to Kurds, including official recognition of the Kurdish language, declaration of Nowruz as a national holiday, and restoration of citizenship for thousands previously denied legal status — a landmark step since Syria’s independence in 1946.
While the SDF has been incorporated into the national armed forces, elements of its internal command structure have been allowed to function temporarily during the transition period. However, long-term administrative and operational arrangements remain under negotiation.
Months of escalating tensions led to armed confrontations in January, resulting in significant territorial losses for the SDF against government-backed forces. Concurrently, shifting U.S. policy supporting the new Damascus administration encouraged Abdi to pursue diplomatic engagement rather than continued resistance.
For President al-Sharaa, integrating the Kurds represents a major stride toward consolidating control over all Syrian territory. For Kurdish communities, however, it signals the end of their self-administered autonomous zone in the northeast. Despite this, Abdi affirmed that advocacy for constitutional protections of Kurdish rights will persist.
“Our struggle to secure our people’s rights in the constitution will continue,” he stated publicly.
Turkey’s Response
Turkey maintains that the YPG — the dominant component of the former SDF — constitutes the Syrian branch of the PKK, classified as a terrorist entity by Ankara, Washington, Brussels, and London. In recent years, Turkey has launched multiple cross-border military operations targeting YPG and SDF positions throughout northern Syria.
Ankara continues to pressure President al-Sharaa to ensure full disarmament of Kurdish armed factions and to prevent any remnants of YPG infrastructure from persisting within state institutions.