Mazloum Abdi: SDF Commander-in-Chief’s Star on the Rise

Mazloum Abdi: SDF Commander-in-Chief’s Star on the Rise

Executive Summary:

• Mazloum Abdi is the commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and a major player in Syria’s new political environment. Abdi is expected to continue to use his support among the country’s Kurdish population and close relationship with the United States as leverage against interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to centralize the state. He will be a key player in Syrian politics for the long term.
• Abdi, born Farhād ‘Abdi Shahīn, made a name for himself internationally for the role he played in the People’s Protection Units (YPG) after the Syrian Civil War erupted in 2011. He has been considered an ally of the United States since he joined forces with the U.S.-led coalition to fight Islamic State in 2014.
• Turkey objects to Abdi’s relationship with the United States and is suspected of having tried to assassinate him in 2023.

Mazloum Abdi, born Farhād ‘Abdi Shahīn (also known as General Mazloum Kobani and Şahîn Cilo), is commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) (The Syrian Observer, March 31, 2020). He was born in the Helinj village near the Kurdish town of Kobani in 1967 in northeastern Syria and is part of the Eladînan tribe and Berazi tribal confederation (Euronews, October 24, 2019; BBC, October 25, 2019). [1] Eladînan tribe members are present in Kobani and parts of Aleppo in northern Syria, as well as across the border in the Kurdish town of Suruc in the Urfa Province in Turkey.

Abdi was trained as a civil engineer at the University of Aleppo and joined the PKK in the 1990s (New Yorker, October 20, 2019; Le Point, January 16, 2023). According to the BBC, he met the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Abdullah Öcalan, when he was a child (BBC, October 25, 2019). Öcalan visited Kobani for the first time and established links with local tribes in 1979, but he fled before the Turkish military coup in 1980 (Medya News, February 9). Many of the SDF’s current leadership are from Kobani (Washington Institute, June 22, 2021).

Before becoming known as Mazloum Abdi, Abdi was known by his PKK codename, Şahîn Cilo. Under that name, he played executive roles in the PKK (both in Kurdistan and in Europe) from 1997 to 2003, even surviving an assassination attempt in the Netherlands in 1999 (BBC, October 25, 2019; Le Point, January 16, 2023). In 2013, he was interviewed on the situation in Syrian Kurdistan as a Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) Executive Council Member by the pro-PKK Firat News Agency (ANF) in Iraqi Kurdistan (ANF News, July 20, 2013). Abdi was also put on the Turkish Ministry of the Interior’s Interpol “Red Notice” list afterwards (Daily Sabah, October 25, 2019).

Abdi in the Syrian Civil War

Abdi made a name for himself internationally for the role he played in the People’s Protection Units (YPG) after the Syrian Civil War erupted in 2011. Despite his initial anonymity, Abdi first established relations with the United States after Islamic State (IS) attacked the Yezidi town of Sinjar in 2014 (New Yorker, October 20, 2019). The YPG opened a corridor to Sinjar from Syria through which many Yezidis were saved. During the 2014 battle for Kobani against IS, an alliance was formed between the YPG and the U.S.-led coalition, which still remains in place. In October 2015, the YPG was rebranded as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in which Mazloum has played a vital role (Kurdistan 24, December 21, 2024).

Abdi was not well known until after Turkey struck the YPG’s headquarters in Mount Karachok, near Derik in Syrian Kurdistan, on April 25, 2017 (Reuters, April 25, 2017). Following the event, Abdi was pictured at the bombed location site with a U.S. commander. Later, Abdi became known as Commander-in-Chief of the SDF, playing a key role in coordination with the United States in major campaigns against IS, including in Manbij in 2016, Raqqa in 2016–2017, and Deir ez-Zor in 2019.

Abdi spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on the phone on October 23, 2019, after the Turkish “Peace Spring” Operation was launched on October 9, 2019, in Tell Abyad and Serekaniye (Ras al-‘Ain) (X/@realDonaldTrump, October 23, 2019; Al Jazeera, November 8, 2019). This was part of an effort to reach a ceasefire, in which Abdi was reportedly invited to the United States (NPR, October 25, 2019). The meeting never took place due to Turkish opposition.

Abdi on the International Stage

In 2019, Abdi signed an action plan with the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, to prevent child recruitment in the SDF. This further cemented his diplomatic role internationally (United Nations, July 1, 2019). In 2021, there were also rumors that Abdi would take on an administrative role and be replaced by the YPG’s Mahmud Berxwedan. These rumors proved false, and Abdi continued to lead the SDF (Kurdistan 24, Sep 12, 2021).

Meanwhile, Turkey continued to be vexed by Abdi’s strong relations with the United States. On April 7, 2023, Turkish forces attempted to kill him at the Silemani (Sulaymaniyyah) International Airport while U.S. forces were also present (Rudaw, April 8, 2023). After the fall of the al-Assad regime in Syria on December 8, 2024, Abdi’s position became even more recognized within Kurdish politics. On January 16, he publicly attended an audience with Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) leader Masoud Barzani as a part of efforts to form a united Kurdish position toward the new administration in Damascus (Masoud Barzani, January 16). On April 24, Abdi met with Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, along with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot (The National, April 24; Kurdistan Presidency, April 24).

Abdi has further played a key role in negotiations with the new administration in Damascus. On March 10, he signed a tentative agreement with interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus, and the two met again in July (Washington Institute, April 2; Al Arabiya, July 9). On July 19, Abdi met with the United States Special Envoy to Syria, Ambassador Thomas J. Barrack, where the Ambassador “thanked Mazloum for his leadership.” This comment helped confirm views that Abdi is respected by American decision-makers and secured his place domestically as an important figure, responsible for maintaining Syria’s stability and security (X/@USEmbassySyria, July 19).

Conclusion

The current political trajectory of the SDF Commander-in-Chief, Mazloum Abdi, shows he will play a decisive role in the near future in the politics of Western (Syrian) Kurdistan, as much as in Syrian politics as a whole. He will likely continue building strong international relationships. Already a prominent leader, he is slowly becoming the political face of the Syrian Kurds, including as their representative in Damascus. His political career is also strongly tied to his relationship with the American military, which has come to trust him due to his competence and integrity during joint operations. The closeness of these ties has developed in spite of strong Turkish opposition. Over the years, Abdi has also built a strong base of support among Syrian Kurds and Kurds elsewhere, and is now one of the most significant powerbrokers within the emerging politics of the new Syrian Arab Republic.

Notes:

[1] Author’s interview with a source in Kobani, July 28, 2025.