Mazloum Abdi says SDF pose no threat to Turkey, operate 'under the umbrella of the Syrian state'

The commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Mazloum Abdi said on Wednesday that his group "poses no threat to anyone", while claiming that the Kurdish-led group operates "under the umbrella of the Syrian state".

Abdi expressed hope that an agreement signed between the SDF and the Syrian government of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa last March, stipulating the integration of the SDF into state institutions.

Speaking at the Middle East Peace and Security Forum (MEPS 2025) in Duhok in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Abdi stressed that the SDF does not pose a threat to Turkey or anyone else.

"We ask our neighbour Turkey not to view our military, administrative, and security institutions as a threat. They are institutions of peace and security," he said.

Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish armed groups, which make up the main component of the SDF, to be "terrorist" organisations linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). It has previously launched three operations against them in Syria.

The SDF continues to control most of northeastern Syria, and although they are Kurdish-led, most of the territory they rule is populated by ethnic Arabs.

Both Turkey and the Syrian government have accused the SDF of stalling the implementation of the March agreement.

Abdi said that integration of the SDF into the Syrian military was still being studied, emphasising that work was ongoing in this process despite the slow pace.

He added that there had been significant progress in laying the groundwork for military and security integration with only "final details" remaining, before an official announcement is made, according to Hawar News Agency.

The SDF commander added that both sides had agreed to put an end to incitement and acts of revenge, while respecting the Kurds as a component of Syrian society.

Since the fall of former dictator Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, there have been intermittent clashes between the SDF and government security forces, as well as Turkish-backed Syrian groups active in northern Syria.

Abdi also called for governance in Syria to be "decentralised" - a long-standing SDF demand that the Syrian government has previously rejected. He also called on the international community to help Syria with reconstruction and development, urging Syrian Kurds to help rebuild the country.