In August 2014, he was in charge of the negotiations the
People's Defense Units (YPG) held in
Sulaymaniya with
Iran and the United States in order to form an effective alliance against the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), after which an alliance with the US was agreed to. Abdi defended
Kobani during the
Siege of Kobani (Oct. 2014–Jan. 2015), refusing to withdraw despite US recommendations to do so. When his family's house was taken a 3rd time by the
Islamic State in house-to-house fights, and given the increased collaboration with USAF, he requested a strike on his home. In 2015, he was selected by
United States Army representatives to assume command of the
Syrian Democratic Forces, on the recommendation of the
Kurdistan Regional Government's intelligence service
Parastin u Zanyari. Abdi stated that he is open to work with the Assad government
within a federal system that includes the existing de facto autonomous region of
Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. On 29 June 2019 Abdi, as representative of the SDF, signed the action plan of the
United Nations aiming to prevent the enlistment of child soldiers in the armed forces. , Northeastern Syria
Relationship with Ba'athist Syria during the civil war (2017–2024) On April 25, 2017, the
Turkish Armed Forces conducted an air operation against PKK targets in the
Sinjar Mountains in Iraq and the Karachok Mountains in northeastern Syria. Abdi was among the teams that included
United States Special Operations Command officers who visited and inspected the area where the targets were bombed by Turkish jets in the Karachok Mountain region. On March 5, 2018, the
United States Department of Defense spokesman, Colonel Robert Manning, said in a press conference regarding Abdi, "We will continue to support General Mazloum and the Syrian local security forces in the areas liberated from ISIS." In a statement made by the
Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, Hami Aksoy, he reacted to the Pentagon spokesman's use of the name of Mazloum Abdi, who is on Turkey‘s "most wanted terrorists list", and the use of the term "YPG" general in the press conference. In July 2019, Mazloum Abdi met with the
United Nations Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict,
Virginia Gamba, and signed a
United Nations document on behalf of the SDF. On October 9, 2019, the day
Operation Peace Spring began, US President
Donald Trump sent a letter to Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, attaching the letter Mazloum Abdi sent to Trump. The letter included the following statements: "I have worked hard to resolve some of your problems. Do not disappoint the world. You can make a good deal. General Mazloum Abdi is willing to negotiate with you and is willing to make concessions that they would never make in the past. I am sending you a copy of the letter he wrote to me, which I have just received." He served as the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces during the operation. While the operation was ongoing, US President Donald Trump held meetings with Russian Defense Minister
Sergei Shoigu to discuss issues including the ceasefire. Following the
Sochi agreement signed between
Russia and Turkey, Trump directly included Mazloum Abdi‘s
Twitter account in his message, stating that he had spoken to Mazloum Abdi on the phone, that he was very pleased with this, and thanked Mazloum Abdi. A senior
U.S. State Department official said that the Kurdish-led SDF "played a key role" in the raid on Baghdadi's compound and that the United States was in close communication with SDF commander General Mazloum Abdi about every aspect of their operation, and Abdi's statements about the raid, in reference to the joint intelligence cooperation on the ground, were accurate. Abdi said the operation had been delayed by a month due to
Turkey's military build-up at the Syrian border and the
Turkish incursion into northeastern Syria that followed. Mazloum Abdi claimed in an interview with
NBC television that the SDF under his command played an active role in the operation in which the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria,
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, was killed. In the same interview, Mazloum Abdi said that a spy affiliated with the SDF managed to infiltrate Baghdadi’s close circle and obtained information about the plan of the place where the ISIS leader was hiding, the existence of the tunnel and how many people were there. He then stated that the spy managed to obtain a used underwear and blood sample belonging to Baghdadi, that these samples were delivered to the
CIA and that the US decided to launch the operation as a result of DNA tests confirming that the person being followed was Baghdadi. In an article by Lara Seligman published in
Foreign Policy, it was stated that Mazloum Abdi worked with the US government for a long time to gather intelligence on Baghdadi’s whereabouts, that Mazloum Abdi was the only foreigner with information about the target and that the operation in which Baghdadi was killed was postponed for a month due to Operation Peace Spring. On October 30, 2019, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that "The SDF General Command, which intends to open the doors of dialogue, should be directly addressed, not our members." Mazloum Abdi stated on his personal Twitter account that the call was made on an individual level, not to the SDF institutionally, and that they rejected their members' individual participation in the Syrian army and wanted the status of the SDF to be preserved. In the wake of the
2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Abdi has stated his willingness to work with the Syrian regime and Russia and to make compromises with them in order to protect the local population of northeastern Syria from potential "genocide" by "Turkey and its jihadi mercenaries. In October 2019, a group of
US Senators suggested that the
US State Department give Abdi a visa so that he would be able to discuss Syria in the United States. In response, the Turkish Minister of Justice
Abdulhamit Gül criticized the US government for treating Abdi as a "legitimate political figure" and indicated that an extradition request had been issued so that if Abdi would enter US territory, he should be detained to be extradited to Turkey. On October 9, 2019, US president
Donald Trump wrote a note to Turkey's president
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, offering to mediate between Turkey and the
YPG, saying Abdi was "willing to make concessions that they would never have made in the past" and enclosing a note from Abdi. During
Erdoğan's November 14 state visit to the US, he returned the letter to Trump, and claimed Abdi was the adoptive son of the
imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan. Mazloum Abdi stated that they consider themselves as "Syrian and a part of Syria", adding that they will agree to work with the Syrian Government. The SDF officially announced their support for the deal on 27 October 2019, five days after the memorandum was made. On April 28, 2020, a suicide bomber drove a truck full of TNT into a crowd in the city of Afrin and blew himself up. 53 civilians were killed and 50 others injured. The Turkish government immediately blamed the People's Protection Units (YPG). The Syrian Democratic Council and the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, Mazloum Abdi, condemned the bombing and blamed Turkish policy, pointing out that "gangs armed by Turkey" had been involved in similar attacks. As Erdogan's government in Turkey has decided to follow a different strategy in the Middle East in the beginning of 2022, Turkish President Erdogan stated that it would be possible to meet with Assad, and that there can be no resentment in politics, which caused to allegations in the Turkish media that Turkey and Syrian government could launch a joint operation against the SDF (DAANES), especially in government-based TV channels. Mazloum Abdi stated in a January 2022 interview that, “We do not accept a return to the past. The Autonomous Administration has existed for ten years, and they must accept it constitutionally. Also, with regard to the military file, by which I mean the SDF and Asayish, the regime must recognize both of them. However, the regime is not yet prepared to take that step. Likewise, a solution will not be reached without international parties putting constant pressure on the Assad regime.” A terrorist attack occurred on
İstiklal Avenue in the
Beyoğlu district of
Istanbul, Turkey, on , killing 6 people and injuring 81 others. No group has claimed responsibility, but Turkish authorities announced that
Kurdish separatists were behind the attack, i mplicating the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and the Syrian Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). On 22 November 2022, Mazloum Abdi claimed the bomber, Albashir, to be related to IS
jihadists via her brothers and past husbands, some of whom were killed in battles against Kurdish forces. More recently, she was inhabiting Turkey-controlled area within north-western Syria. Abdi called for peace between Turkey and Syrian Kurds, excluding any operation against Turkey in Turkey, and denying responsibility for the bombing. He vowed however to defend Syrian territories under DAANES control. In early July 2024, violent
anti-Turkish riots occurred in northern
Syria, within areas
controlled by
Turkey and Turkish-backed
Syrian opposition forces. Local protesters and armed militants attacked and set fire to Turkish government buildings, military bases, and attacked Turkish civilians in the region. Mazloum Abdi said that, despite differences, Syrians were united by national honor and independence. Abdi condemned the attacks on Syrians in Kayseri, and called for the protection of their lives and dignity. Abdi also welcomed all Syrians who rioted to SDF controlled areas in north and eastern Syria, extending a hand to save the country together. At the end of 2024, Abdi warned that the SDF would not have sufficient capacity to continue administering the high-security prison in
al-Hasakah (which, according to Abdi, housed approximately 12,000 Islamic State fighters at the time) if Turkey continued to attack the autonomous administration of northern and eastern Syria, which the SDF defended, and if the United States reduced its support for the SDF with the
second inauguration of
Donald Trump. Abdi accused Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of seeking to destroy the autonomous administration and expel the Syrian Kurds from the northern border region in order to settle Arabs there. He met with the chairman of the
Kurdistan Democratic Party,
Masoud Barzani, in
Erbil on January 16, 2025.
Fall of the Assad Regime Mazlum Abdi‘s stance after the fall of the Assad regime, although supported by the international community, has led to regional debates. The US and European countries have stated that the SDF is a guarantor of stability in the region and have responded positively to Abdi’s calls. On the other hand, Turkey has criticized Mazlum Abdi and the SDF for their links to the PKK and has increased threats of military operations in the process. During the
fall of the Assad regime the Turkish-backed
Syrian National Army (SNA) captured
Tell Rifaat and announced a military campaign targeting Manbij, a strategic city in the eastern Aleppo countryside. On 2 December 2024, the SDF announced plans to evacuate
Kurdish IDPs from Tel Rifaat and the
Shahba region to SDF-held areas in Aleppo's
Sheikh Maqsood district and northeastern Syria. Mazloum Abdi commented: “Our efforts are continuing to secure a safe exit for the residents of Tal Rifaat and al-Shahba.” This offensive held particular significance as Manbij represented the final
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-controlled territory west of the
Euphrates River, where the group maintained its presence with
US military support. The opposition's military operations occurred as part of
Operation Dawn of Freedom simultaneously with
Operation Deterrence of Aggression, which advanced from
Idlib toward
Homs. The Dawn of Freedom operations room, a component of the SNA, articulated that while their primary objective remained the removal of the
Assad government, they were compelled to engage the SDF due to what they characterized as attacks on opposition-held villages in the Aleppo countryside. The operations room issued civilian safety advisories for Manbij residents, requesting they maintain distance from military installations. The Mazloum Abdi denied this, stating it as "psychological warfare" and "propaganda". The SOHR stated that SNA had captured most of the city, claiming withdrawal of the Manbij Military Council, except for positions in the rear of Manbij. It was also reported that after holding talks, the United States and Turkey reached an agreement which resulted in the SDF withdrawing from Manbij. Following the SNA capture of Manbij city on 11 December, a temporary ceasefire agreement in the region was reached between the SNA and SDF through U.S. mediation. However, military activities did not cease, which eventually resulted in
fighting in the Kobani countryside. In addition, the SNA refused the evacuation of SDF members or civilians from Manbij, executed captured SDF members and attempted offensive operations against the SDF, resulting in fighting near the
Tishrin Dam. The following week, the SNA stated that they ended the US-brokered ceasefire with the SDF.
Turkey stated that the ceasefire did not exist. The offensive came around the same time in which several
Syrian rebel factions agreed with de facto leader
Ahmed al-Sharaa to dissolve their groups and to fall under the country's new
Ministry of Defense. Mazloum Abdi did not participate in this meeting in
Damascus.
Relationship with post-Assad transitional government In January 2025, talks started between the new
HTS-led
Syrian government and the SDF in
Damascus. The focus of the negotiations was to settle the Kurdish forces into the new administration and to resolve the conflict with the SNA. SDF commander Mazloum Abdi has said that one of his central demands is a decentralised administration, in which he proposed to integrate the SDF with the new Defence Ministry, but as "a military bloc" without dissolving the group. This proposal was rejected by Syria's new defence minister
Murhaf Abu Qasra stating that such a bloc "is not right." Abu Qasra expressed his desire to finish the integration process by 1 March. At the same time, he did not rule out the use of force should the negotiations fail. On 29 January,
Ahmed al-Sharaa was appointed as the
Syrian president. The spokesperson of Syria's military operations,
Hassan Abdul Ghani, announced on
state media the dissolution of all armed factions in the country, which includes the SNA and al-Sharaa's own HTS. In his first interview as president, al-Sharaa told reporters of
The Economist that he opposes a
federal system in Syria. Moreover, al-Sharaa said that Turkey was planning to launch a full-fledged operation in the north against the Kurdish forces, but he asked them to wait in order to give space for
negotiations to reach an agreement with Mazloum Abdi. After several failed negotiations, Abdi met with Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa on 10 March 2025. Mazloum announced the SDF agreed to integrate into state institutions. Ahmed al-Sharaa declared: "We are committed to building a better future that guarantees the rights of all Syrians and fulfils their aspirations for peace and dignity," he wrote on
X after signing the deal in Damascus on Monday alongside President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Turkish president
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan tolerates this agreement and clearly states in his statement that airports, oil fields and border crossings should come under the control of the government in Damascus, thus destroying the original demand of Mazloum Abdi and the Kurdish parties for autonomy in the country. Erdogan further added in televised comments: "We attach great importance to the territorial integrity of our neighbour Syria, the preservation of its unitary structure, and the strengthening of its unity and stability." Before Erdoğan's statement, a Turkish official said that the Turkish Government was "cautiously optimistic" about the deal but focused on its implementation. This agreement was viewed with controversy, as the same week factions of the
Syrian Armed Forces carried out
mass killings in the Alawite region in the west of the country. This led many to believe that with such an agreement, al-Sharaa can achieve a positive image in the Western world after these events, and is less intended to benefit the Kurds in Syria. Mazloum Abdi condemned the violence against the Alawites, with calling on Ahmad al-Sharaa to hold the perpetrators of the massacres accountable, and to stop the violence. Abdi stated extremist groups were attempting to "create
sectarian conflicts and settle internal scores" across Syria. The deadline for the merger has been set for the end of 2025. The
Kurdish National Council and other Kurdish groups declared on Monday that it was unaware of a recent landmark meeting between Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi. However, under the conditions it is known that there will be joint operations between the SDF and Damascus government forces against remnants and sleeper cells of ISIS in the Syrian desert. Al-Sharaa promised to go after
war criminals belonging to the former regime. On 29 March, Abdi said it will not adhere to the decisions of the new
transitional government, alleging that its composition allowed a single faction to maintain control and did not represent the diversity of Syria. In an October 16 interview with the
Associated Press, Mazloum Abdi said that both sides had agreed on a "mechanism" allowing the SDF to join the Syrian army as cohesive units rather than as individual soldiers. He also adding that the forces would be incorporated “according to the rules of the
Defense Ministry.” In December 2025, Turkish Foreign Minister
Hakan Fidan urged the SDF to integrate into the Syrian army and stop obstructing Syria's stability as
clashes erupted in Aleppo. In the meantime, Damascus's written proposal included reorganising the SDF into three divisions and several brigades, including a women's unit, as part of the integration plan. On 4 January 2026, Abdi held talks in Damascus with Syrian government officials on integrating the SDF into the national army, as part of a previously agreed merger plan. However, the meeting ended without “tangible results” after disagreements persisted over how the integration should proceed, with both sides agreeing to continue discussions at a later date.
Northeastern Syria offensive and aftermath announced the 14-point agreement on the ceasefire and the integration of the
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which was signed by Abdi, 18 January 2026 On 16 January 2026, after consulting the Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, The following day, he arrived in Erbil, accompanied by U.S. envoy
Tom Barrack, to meet with Masoud Barzani. On 18 January, he agreed to a ceasefire to end the government's offensive during a telephone call with President al-Sharaa. The ceasefire was later formalized in an integration agreement reached on 30 January, calling for the withdrawal of SDF and government forces from frontline areas, retention of
Kurdish security forces in cities, limited Damascus security presence for integration tasks, continuation of SDF brigades near cities, maintenance of civilian institutions with staff integrated into ministries, the return of displaced people, and coordination on releasing prisoners. During the
62nd Munich Security Conference, he held talks with French President
Emmanuel Macron, and met with U.S. Secretary of State
Marco Rubio, alongside Syrian Foreign Minister
Asaad al-Shaibani. He later held a meeting with a delegation of U.S. Senators, including
Lindsey Graham,
Sheldon Whitehouse,
Jacky Rosen,
Peter Welch, and
Andy Kim. A few months later, on 16 April, Abdi and
Îlham Ehmed met with President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus, alongside Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, to discuss implementation of the January agreement and the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces into state institutions. == See also ==