Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa appointed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leader Mazloum Abdi as a presidential adviser, state media said on Aug 28, days after Abdi announced the dissolution of the forces under an integration deal with Damascus.
“Mustafa Khalil Abdi is appointed as adviser to the presidency of the republic,” announced the decree, signed by Sharaa and published by state news agency SANA.
Abdi, who has been known by several different names, on Aug. 25 announced the SDF’s dissolution, part of a deal he made with Sharaa in January to integrate the SDF and civilian administration into the state.
Syria’s new authorities who toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 have been seeking to extend state control across the whole country. The integration deal was a major victory for Sharaa.
U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said on Aug. 25 that “this is what real integration looks like... former counterparts with differing points of view crafting a diplomatic solution to strengthen the sovereign nation of Syria.”
As part of the deal, Sharaa had signed a decree enshrining the Kurds’ national rights and recognizing Kurdish as a national language, an unprecedented step since Syria’s independence in 1946.
On Aug. 27 evening, the Education Ministry issued a decision authorizing Kurdish-language classes in both public and private schools in areas where “Kurdish citizens make up a significant percentage of the population,” alongside Arabic and English.
Last week, Abdi announced that the integration of the SDG administration with the Syrian state was complete, adding: “Our struggle will continue, to cement our people’s rights in the constitution.”
The Kurds are estimated to number around 2 million in the country, out of a population of 20 million.
