Syrian president appoints former leader of Kurdish-led force as an adviser
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed the former commander of a now-dissolved Kurdish-led fighting force as a presidential adviser on Friday, indicating a reconciliation between the two longtime civil war adversaries.
For more than ten years, Mazloum Abdi has been at the helm of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, collaborating with the U.S. to combat the Islamic State and capture significant territories in northern and eastern Syria amid the ongoing conflict, aiming to establish a semi-autonomous region.
Following the removal of former President Bashar al-Assad in late 2024 by a rebel coalition led by Sharaa, the new Islamist-led authorities in Syria asserted that territory and institutions managed by the SDF must be incorporated into the state.
The integration process was at a standstill for over a year, until a sudden offensive by Syrian government forces in January against Abdi’s fighters created a pathway to merge the SDF with the authorities in Damascus.
Abdi announced on Tuesday that the SDF would officially dissolve, celebrating the beginning of a new era of “peace and participation in the construction of the new Syria.”
His appointment as a presidential adviser was revealed in a decree issued by Sharaa. It remained uncertain if the role would be solely ceremonial.
APPOINTMENT COMES AFTER YEARS OF MISTRUST
Under Abdi, the SDF and its affiliated institutions established governing structures co-chaired by both a man and a woman to promote equality.
It battled ultraconservative factions, including the Islamic State and the local branch of al Qaeda, which was previously led by Sharaa before he severed connections with the group.
As part of the integration process, SDF fighters are being assimilated into Syria’s Defense Ministry, which includes prominent individuals who had previously expressed criticism of the ruling Syrian administration.
In January, during the conflict, prominent Kurdish commander Sipan Hamo proposed that Israel conduct airstrikes against Syrian forces. Following the announcement of the integration deal a few weeks later, he was appointed as deputy defense minister.
The issue of integrating the SDF’s female fighters into the nation’s armed forces, which currently lack any female troops, remains unresolved.
Turkey, a close ally of Sharaa, expressed its approval of the dissolution of the SDF, which it has long accused of having connections to its own outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group.
