Syria
SDF chief Mazloum Abdi at MEPS forum in Duhok in November 2025, and Congressman Abe Hamadeh holding an online meeting with Abdi on November 21, 2025. Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Congressman Abe Hamadeh said on Friday that he received "an operational update" from Mazloum Abdi, chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Hamadeh congratulated Abdi on his "successful diplomacy" with Damascus and Ankara.
“Gen. Mazloum praised President [Donald]Trump’s decision to lift sanctions and urged sustained U.S. backing for pluralistic governance, while the Congressman congratulated him on successful diplomacy with Damascus and Turkey aimed at preserving Syria’s territorial integrity,” read a statement from the Republican Congressman’s office.
Abdi has been engaged in talks with the new government in Damascus to integrate the civilians and military institutions of northeast Syria (Rojava) into the state. He also said that he has established direct channels with Ankara, which continues to see the SDF as a threat to its national security - a claim Rojava officials have categorically denied.
Hamadeh, whose parents are from Syria and has Kurdish ancestry, and Abdi have held several remote meetings since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.
The Arizona Republican Congressman also thanked Abdi for “appointing a dedicated liaison to recover the remains of Arizonan Kayla Mueller. “
The 26-year-old Mueller was captured in northern Syria in August 2013. Washington and her family confirmed her death a year later. Hamadeh has been in search of her remains for nearly a year.
When visiting Syria and meeting with the interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the anniversary of Mueller’s capture in August, the Congressman discussed with the Syrian leader the fate of the American citizen.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment