Syria names Mazloum Abdi adviser, allows Kurdish classes

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi as an adviser to the presidency, while the education ministry authorised Kurdish-language classes in some public and private schools.

A decree signed by Sharaa and published by state news agency SANA named Abdi, also known as Mustafa Khalil Abdi, as an adviser to the presidency. Abdi was for years the leader of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

The appointment came days after Abdi announced the SDF's dissolution under a January deal with Sharaa to integrate Kurdish forces and the Kurdish civilian administration into the Syrian state. Abdi said Tuesday that the SDF's dissolution followed the completion of the integration of its forces into Syrian army brigades.

The education ministry decision, issued Thursday evening, authorised Kurdish-language instruction in public and private schools in areas where Kurdish citizens make up a significant share of the population, alongside Arabic and English.

The Democratic Union Party, Syria's most powerful Kurdish party, welcomed what it called positive and important developments on SDF integration and the Kurdish language, but said they were not sufficient. It said Syria's new constitution should recognise the Kurdish people as a native people and partner in Syria and recognise Kurdish political, cultural and national rights.

The party also urged completion of the merger of the Kurdish Women's Protection Units into the state. The YPJ, which is part of the SDF, said this week that it had discussed integration into the interior ministry with government officials.

Sharaa's authorities, which toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in 2024, have been seeking to extend state control across Syria. The integration deal was described as a major victory for Sharaa but ended long-held Kurdish hopes for official autonomy.

US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack said Tuesday that giving Abdi and other Kurdish partners substantive roles in government respected their leadership and contribution to regional stability, without saying then what role Abdi would receive.

Kurds in Syria are estimated to number about two million in a population of 20 million. They are concentrated mainly in the northeast, with communities also in Damascus and Aleppo.