Ocalan’s PKK disarmament call doesn’t concern Syria's SDF: Abdi

QAMISHLO,— General Mazloum Abdi, the top commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led militia backed by the United States, stated that Abdullah Öcalan’s call for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to disarm and dissolve does not apply to the Kurdish-led group he commands in Syria.

Abdi welcomed Ocalan’s appeal for the PKK to end its armed struggle against Turkey, noting that it could have positive consequences for the region.

However, he stressed that Ocalan’s message applied solely to the PKK and had no relevance to the SDF, which controls northeastern Syria. “The PKK’s decision to lay down arms concerns them, not our forces in Rojava [Syrian Kurdistan],” Abdi explained.

The SDF, which is the de facto army of the Kurdish administration in Syrian Kurdistan, has long denied any direct connection to the PKK, despite Turkey’s claims.

The U.S. has supported the SDF in the fight against ISIS, recognizing them as a key ally. Nevertheless, Turkish-backed Islamist mercenary militants have continued to target SDF-controlled areas since November, even as the U.S. has attempted to mediate.

Abdi stated that peace in Turkey would benefit northeastern Syria, making it easier to end Turkish attacks on SDF areas. “If peace is achieved in Turkey, there will be no reason for attacks against us here in Syria,” he said.

Abdi also added that if Ocalan’s call to end the PKK’s armed struggle succeeds, it could have a positive impact on the region, especially since Turkey’s concerns over the PKK have fueled its military actions in Syria.

The SDF took control of large parts of northern Syria after the Syrian civil war began in 2011 and has since played a significant role in the fight against ISIS.

Turkey’s jailed Kurdish leader and founder of Kurdistan Workers’ Party PKK Abdullah Ocalan (center) with Kurdish lawmakers, February 27, 2025. Photo: ANF

In March 2019, Kurdish forces successfully expelled ISIS from its last stronghold in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz. Since then, an estimated 12,000 individuals suspected of having links to ISIS have been detained in Kurdish-controlled prisons across the region.

The conflict against ISIS and Turkish-backed Syrian Islamist mercenaries has taken a heavy toll on the Kurdish forces. More than 21,000 Kurdish fighters, both male and female, have lost their lives in the ongoing fight. These casualties underscore the significant sacrifices made by the Kurdish forces in securing key territories in northern and eastern Syria and combating ISIS’s brutal campaign.

Despite a relatively peaceful relationship with the Syrian government under President Bashar al-Assad, the SDF now faces pressure from the new Islamist administration that replaced Assad in December. This government has called for the integration of the SDF into Syria’s state security apparatus.

Abdi expressed willingness to join the new Syrian defense ministry but said that the SDF should be integrated as a unified group rather than as individual members.

This proposal was rejected by the new Islamist administration in Damascus. “A new Syria is forming, and the SDF must have a place in the new Syrian army,” Abdi stated.

Neither the SDF nor the Kurdish-led administration in northeastern Syria was invited to the so-called a national dialogue conference held in Damascus on February 25.

Abdi criticized the event, calling it unrepresentative of the Syrian people, and said the Kurdish authorities would organize their own local dialogue regarding the region’s future.

Since the establishment of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in 2018, the Kurdish-led administration has implemented a model of democratic confederalism, asserting its autonomy amid regional challenges.

Widely respected for its secular and decentralized governance, the administration emphasizes equality between men and women, direct democracy, and environmental responsibility, gaining attention for its progressive approach to self-rule in a region long marked by conflict.

(With files from Reuters | AFP | Agencies)