DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – Syria’s de facto president Abu Muhammad al-Jolani has appointed Mazloum Abdi, the former leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a presidential advisor, in a move that formalizes the integration of a U.S.-backed Kurdish militia into a regime led by the former Al-Qaeda and Daesh figure.
Jolani issued Decree No. 164 appointing Abdi to the advisory role on Thursday. The announcement came three days after Abdi declared the dissolution of the SDF and the completion of its integration with the Syrian military.
The appointment marks a significant realignment in Syria’s conflict. Jolani, who the United States long claimed to be fighting as a former deputy to Al-Qaeda and Daesh, has now formalized an alliance with the SDF, a group Washington had armed and backed as its primary partner in its alleged fight against Daesh. 
The two sides, once adversaries on opposite sides of the Syrian battlefield, have now aligned under U.S. stewardship.
Abdi is the most senior of several Kurdish figures appointed to state posts in recent months. Another SDF commander was made assistant defense minister for the eastern region earlier this year.
The advisory role represents a lesser position than one offered in January, when Jolani proposed making Abdi deputy defense minister and nominating him as governor of Hasakah province in an effort to restore state control over SDF-held territory.
Jolani and Abdi first agreed to fold the SDF into the central takfiri regime in March 2025. However, that deal made little progress before its year-end deadline, spurring Jolani forces to battle into the northeast in January, taking the cities of Raqqa and Deir Az Zor from the SDF. 
A ceasefire that ended the fighting placed Raqqa, Deir al-Zawr and Hasakah under central regime control and committed the SDF to join the defense and interior ministries under a 14-point plan.
The political realignment comes amid continued violence and foreign military intervention. An explosion outside a courthouse in northern Syria killed two people on Thursday, underscoring the persistent instability.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its invasion and occupation of Syrian lands, with Israeli airstrikes and military operations across the country ongoing. On August 18, Israeli warplanes struck the Abu al-Duhur air base in Idlib province, targeting Turkish military positions in an effort to prevent Ankara from establishing a presence there.