Al-Sharaa Appoints Former SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi as Presidential Advisor

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed Presidential Decree No. 164, appointing Mazloum Abdi (Ferhat Abdi Şahin) — the former commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces — as an advisor to the Presidency of the Republic, effective August 28, 2026, three days after Abdi announced the SDF's dissolution as an independent force and its full integration into the Syrian military. The decree used Abdi's alternate legal name, 'Mustafa Khalil Abdi.' The advisory post is a step down from a January 2026 proposal that would have made Abdi deputy defense minister, but formalizes his role in Damascus as the transitional government completes Kurdish political and military integration.