Mazloum Abdi

Mustafa Khalil Abdi (born c. 1967), also known as Mazloum Abdi, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander who has served as Adviser to the Presidency of the Republic since 2026. He previously served as commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) until its dissolution in 2026.

Born to Syrian Kurdish parents from the Kurdish village of Halanj, near Kobani, Abdi was raised by a father who worked as a medical doctor. He studied civil engineering at the University of Aleppo before joining the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in Syria in 1990. During this period, Syrian authorities imprisoned him on five occasions. While active in the PKK, Abdi developed a close personal relationship with the group's leader, Abdullah Öcalan.

In 1997, he relocated to Europe and remained involved in Kurdish political activities until 2003, when he traveled to Iraq and was reportedly involved in military operations. He later joined the PKK's high command in 2005 and served on the People's Defense Forces (HPG) special operations board between 2009 and 2011. Around 2011–2012, the PKK sent him back to Syria to help organize the activities of the People's Defense Units (YPG) in predominantly Kurdish areas as the Syrian civil war intensified. In 2015, Abdi was chosen by representatives of the United States Army to lead the SDF, following a recommendation from the Kurdistan Regional Government's intelligence service, Parastin u Zanyari.

In March 2025, Abdi's SDF reached an integration agreement with the Syrian caretaker government, led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, but the process remained inconclusive throughout 2025. In January 2026, following consultations with Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani, Abdi announced that SDF forces would withdraw from Dayr Hafir and nearby areas to positions east of the Euphrates. The withdrawal came amid the Syrian transitional government's offensive against the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. In August 2026, Abdi announced the dissolution of the SDF and the full incorporation of its forces into the Syrian Army. He was subsequently appointed as Adviser to the Presidency of the Republic.