Following the official announcement by Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), this week regarding the disbandment of the SDF which he has led since 2015, new information has surfaced about his future role.
Syrian government sources informed Al Arabiya.net/Al Hadath.net that Interior Minister Anas Khattab met for hours on Wednesday with Nourouz Ahmed, a leader in the Women’s Protection Units. The two sides reached an agreement for these units to join the Ministry of the Interior after the Syrian army rejected their integration into its ranks.
Women’s Protection Units
A knowledgeable Kurdish source confirmed that “the Women’s Protection Units agreed to join the Interior Ministry while maintaining their anti-terrorism role.” He revealed to Al Arabiya.net/Al Hadath.net that approximately 2,000 members of these units will be officially incorporated into the Interior Ministry post-individual interviews.
These units, which gained fame during the war against ISIS, had sought to join the Syrian army, but Damascus repeatedly refused, eventually forcing them to accept the government’s proposal to join the Interior Ministry.
Position in the Presidential Palace
According to the previous source, Mazloum Abdi will receive a position in the Syrian presidential palace, though Damascus has not specified the nature of this role.
The Syrian presidency proposed that Abdi take on the role of advisor or Kurdish affairs manager in the People's Palace, pending a presidential decree.
Ilham Ahmed
Two sources—one official governmental and the other Kurdish—confirmed the appointment of Kurdish leader Ilham Ahmed as a member of the Syrian People's Assembly. She is to later chair a parliamentary committee to draft the constitution.
The source also noted that Abdi's appointment decision might be delayed by a few days until full integration is complete, with technical committees arriving in Hasakah yesterday.
Last Tuesday, Abdi announced the dissolution of the SDF and what was known as the “Kurdish Self-Administration” along with all associated military and civil formations, emphasizing their complete integration into Syrian state institutions.
In a speech delivered in Arabic and Kurdish to journalists at the presidential palace in Damascus, Abdi stated: “Today, we announce the end of the mission of the Syrian Democratic Forces and declare, with full responsibility, its dissolution as an independent military force.” He remarked that “the conditions have changed today, and the country has entered a new era marked by peace and participation in building a new Syria,” pointing out that the decision to disband came “after reaching an agreement with President Ahmed Sharma and completing the integration of forces within the Syrian army brigades.”
Abdi’s announcement from the Syrian presidential palace was described as “historic,” receiving widespread international and Arab approval. It was followed by a series of meetings between him and Sharma to resolve outstanding issues, such as integrating the Women’s Protection Units into state institutions.