Syria’s Al-Sharaa Names Ex-SDF Chief Abdi Presidential Adviser

By Staff, Agencies

Syria’s transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa has appointed Mazloum Abdi, the former commander of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF], as an adviser to the presidency, according to Syrian state media.

The appointment comes days after Abdi announced the dissolution of the SDF as an independent military force and confirmed that its forces would be integrated into Syrian state institutions.

Speaking from the presidential palace in Damascus on Tuesday, Abdi declared the end of the group’s separate military mission as part of a broader process to consolidate military authority under the Syrian state.

In remarks delivered largely in Arabic, Abdi presented the move as a transition rather than a defeat, describing it as a shift from armed struggle to reconstruction, from weapons to peace, and from defending Syria to building it.

He paid tribute to SDF fighters who lost their lives over the years, saying they fought so Syrians could ultimately be spared the need for further conflict.

Abdi also highlighted Kurdish-language education as a longstanding demand of Syrian Kurds, saying al-Sharaa had repeatedly pledged to protect that right and that the SDF would seek to implement a related decision within the year.

Closing in Kurmanji, he called for a Syria jointly built by Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Assyrians and Turkmen, with equal rights and dignity for all citizens.

The dissolution follows a turbulent process that began with a March 2025 agreement between al-Sharaa and Abdi, but talks stalled amid disputes and renewed fighting.

A major government offensive in January 2026 stripped the SDF of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor, prompting the weakened force to accept a US-brokered ceasefire and agree to integrate into the Syrian army and hand over its remaining territory, crossings and oil fields.

Integration continued through the summer, with Abdi declaring the process essentially complete before formally announcing the SDF’s dissolution.