Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa officially appointed former Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) commander Mazloum Abdi as an adviser to the presidency, according to state media reports published Friday.
The move follows Abdi's announcement earlier in the week dissolving the Kurdish-led paramilitary group and fully integrating its combat units into the central government's national army brigades.
How was the presidential appointment announced?
Syrian state news agency SANA confirmed that President al-Sharaa signed Decree No. 164 of 2026, officially naming "Mustafa Khalil Abdi"—the official name of the longtime military commander known as Mazloum Abdi—as an adviser to the Presidency of the Republic.
The presidential decree comes directly after Abdi delivered a televised address on Tuesday at the People's Palace in Damascus declaring the end of the SDF's independent military mission. The dissolution finalized a comprehensive integration agreement initiated between Damascus and Kurdish leadership to merge military and civilian institutions in northeastern Syria under central state authority.
According to reporting by Shafaq News and Al Jazeera, US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack commended the transition, noting that securing formal governmental roles for key partners respects Kurdish leadership and their historic contributions to countering extremism in the region.
What does the appointment mean for political integration in Syria?
Abdi's entry into the executive office marks a pivotal milestone in Damascus's efforts to consolidate state authority across formerly autonomous zones following the fall of the Ba'athist regime in late 2024. Under the integration terms, 10,000 to 12,000 former SDF fighters have been reorganized into national army brigades, while oil fields, border posts, and municipal administrative bodies in Hasakah and Qamishli were transferred to the Interior and Defense Ministries.
Coverage from SANA and Roya News highlights that while the SDF's disbandment ends a decade of de facto military autonomy in northeastern Syria, President al-Sharaa's accompanying decrees guaranteeing Kurdish national rights and language recognition aim to institutionalize political participation within a unified state. Abdi affirmed that Kurdish leaders will continue working within the national political structure to secure constitutional protections for their communities.
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