Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed the former commander of a now-dissolved Kurdish-led fighting force as a presidential adviser on Friday, reflecting a rapprochement between the two long-time civil war adversaries.
For over a decade, Mazloum Abdi led the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which aligned with the US to fight Islamic State and seize swathes of northern and eastern Syria during the country’s war to create a semi-autonomous zone.
Syria’s new Islamist-led authorities insist that SDF-run territory and institutions must be integrated into the state.
The integration process stalled for more than a year, until a lightning January offensive by Syrian government forces against Abdi’s fighters produced a roadmap to merge the SDF into the Damascus-based authorities.
Abdi announced on Tuesday that the SDF would formally dissolve, hailing the start of a new phase of “peace and participation in the construction of the new Syria”.
His appointment as a presidential adviser was announced in a decree issued by Sharaa. It was not clear whether the role would be purely ceremonial.
Under Abdi, the SDF and its affiliated institutions introduced governing structures that were co-chaired by a man and a woman in a bid to foster equality.
It fought ultraconservative groups, including Islamic State and al Qaeda’s local branch, which was once headed by Sharaa, before he broke off ties with the organisation.
Under the integration, SDF fighters are being incorporated into Syria’s Defence Ministry, including senior figures who had been critical of the ruling Syrian administration.
