Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed former SDF ringleader Ferhat Abdi Şahin, also known as Mazloum Abdi, as a presidential adviser Friday, cementing a dramatic political shift just days after the group announced its dissolution and integration into state institutions.
The appointment was announced in a decree signed by al-Sharaa and carried by state news agency SANA.
“Mustafa Khalil Abdi is appointed as adviser to the presidency of the republic,” the decree said, using one of the names by which Abdi has been known.
His appointment comes after he announced Tuesday that the SDF would dissolve under an agreement reached with Damascus in January to integrate its armed units and civilian administration into Syrian state institutions.
Abdi said the move followed “the completion of the process of integrating our forces into the brigades of the Syrian army.”
Syria’s new authorities, which took power after the ouster of longtime dictator Bashar Assad in 2024, have sought to restore central government control across the country after years of fragmentation during the civil war.
U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack welcomed the agreement Tuesday, describing it as an example of former rivals reaching a diplomatic settlement aimed at strengthening Syrian sovereignty.
Barrack also said securing meaningful government roles for Kurdish figures, including Abdi, would recognize their leadership and contributions to regional stability.
Abdi agreed to integration with Damascus after government forces captured significant territory from terrorist PKK/YPG-led forces during clashes and as Washington strengthened relations with the new Syrian leadership.
In another major step, Syria’s Education Ministry authorized Kurdish-language instruction in public and private schools Thursday in areas where Kurdish citizens constitute a significant share of the population.
The decision allows Kurdish to be taught alongside Arabic and English.
It follows an earlier decree by al-Sharaa recognizing Kurdish as a national language and affirming the national rights of Syria’s Kurdish population, a major policy shift in a country where Kurds have long complained of discrimination.
Abdi said last week that the integration of the Kurdish administration into the Syrian state had been completed but pledged to continue efforts to secure Kurdish rights in the country’s new constitution.
Syria’s Kurdish population is estimated at around 2 million out of roughly 20 million people, with communities concentrated mainly in the northeast as well as in Damascus and Aleppo.
