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Mazloum Abdi

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Mazloum Abdi
Mazloum Abdi in 2019
Birth nameFerhat Abdi Şahin
Other name(s)Noms de guerre:
Şahin Cilo,
Mazloum Abdî
Born1967 (age 56–57)
Kobani, Syria
Allegiance Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (2012–present)
Service / branch Syrian Democratic Forces (2015–present)
Years of service2003–present
RankGeneral Commander
Battles / warsKurdish–Turkish conflict
Syrian Civil War

Farhad Abdi Shaheen[1] (Kurdish: فەرهاد ابدی ساهین, romanized: Ferhad Ebdî Şahîn; Arabic: فرهاد عبدي شاهين), better known by his nom de guerre Mazlum Kobane,[2][a] is a Syrian Kurdish military leader, serving as the commander-in-chief[b] of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).[9][10]

Early life

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Ferhat Abdi Şahin was born to Syrian Kurdish parents in Kobani[7][11] around 1967. Trained as a civil engineer at the University of Aleppo,[12] according to Turkish sources, Abdi joined the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) within Syria in 1990 and was imprisoned five times by the Syrian authorities.[13][7][12] During his time with the PKK in Syria, he became a personal friend of PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.[12] Abdi later conducted militant activities in rural areas of Şemdinli, Turkey in 1996.[13]

He left to Europe in 1997 where he was engaged in Kurdish political work until 2003, when he traveled to Iraq where he was allegedly involved in military work.[13][8] According to Turkish sources, he served as member of the PKK high command in 2005.[11][c] Abdi became a member of the People's Defense Forces' (HPG) special operations board from 2009 until 2011/12,[13][11] when he was sent to Syria by the PKK in order to organise the YPG's activities in Kurdish populated regions of Syria amid the then escalating Syrian Civil War.[11]

Syrian war and Kurdish-ISIS war

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In August 2014, he was in charge of the negotiations the People's Protection Units (YPG) held in Sulaymaniya with Iran and the United States in order to form an effective alliance against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), after which an alliance with the US was agreed to.[7] Abdi defended Kobani during the Siege of Kobani (Oct. 2014-Jan. 2015), refusing to withdraw despite US recommendations to do so. When his family's house was taken a 3rd time by ISIS in house-to-house fights, and given the increased collaboration with USAF, he requested a strike on his home.[16] As the commander of the SDF, Abdi commands 70,000 troops.[17]

Peace building in the AANES

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Abdi has stated that he is open to work with the Syrian government within a federal system that includes the existing de facto autonomous region of Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.[18] On 29 June 2019 Abdi, as representative of the SDF, signed the action plan of the United Nations aiming to prevent the enlistment of child soldiers in the armed forces.[19]

In the wake of the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, Abdi has stated his willingness to work with the Syrian regime and Russia and to make compromises with them in order to protect the local population of northeastern Syria from potential "genocide" by "Turkey and its jihadi mercenaries.[17] As part of a deal with the SDF, Syrian government troops have been given permission to enter the cities of Manbij and Kobani in the hopes of deterring further Turkish aggression.[20]

In October 2019, a group of US Senators suggested that the US State Department give Abdi a visa so that he would be able to discuss Syria in the United States. In response, the Turkish Minister of Justice Abdulhamit Gül criticized the US government for treating Abdi as a "legitimate political figure" and indicated that an extradition request had been issued so that if Abdi would enter US territory, he should be detained to be extradited to Turkey.[21] As ninth upon the Turkish government's most-wanted terrorist list, Abdi has a 9 million lira reward offered by Turkey for help in his capture.[22][23][24]

On October 9, 2019,[25] US president Donald Trump wrote a note to Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, offering to mediate between Turkey and the YPG, saying Abdi was "willing to make concessions that they would never have made in the past" and enclosing a note from Abdi. During Erdoğan's November 14 state visit to the US, he returned the letter to Trump,[26] and claimed Abdi was the adoptive son of the in Turkey imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan.[27] Erdogan also claimed to have presented Trump with CIA documentation classifying Abdi is a terrorist.[27]

Notes

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  1. ^ Also called as Mazloum Kobani.[3] His previous nom de guerre is Şahin Cilo.[4]
  2. ^ In Kurmanji, Abdi's rank is fermandarê giştî,[5] which literally translates as 'general commander'. English sources refer to him by multiple ranks, including 'commander-in-chief',[6] 'general',[7] or 'commander'.[8]
  3. ^ For alleged terrorism committed in Turkey by the PKK during this period, as of 2019, Interpol has issued a red notice on Turkey's behalf.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ Wilgenburg, Wladimir van (3 May 2019). "Syrian Kurdish leader reveals indirect negotiations with Turkey". Kurdistan24. Kurdistan 24. Archived from the original on 28 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  2. ^ "Mazlum Kobane says Biden can advance peace in Turkey". KurdPress. 27 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2024.
  3. ^ "Commander Of Syrian Democratic Forces Reacts To Trump Pulling Troops From Border". NPR.org.
  4. ^ Chulov, Martin; Hawramy, Fazel (1 May 2017). "Ever-closer ties between US and Kurds stoke Turkish border tensions | Martin Chulov and Fazel Hawramy". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Ebdî: Em ê hêzeke leşkerî ava bikin ya ku wê bibe garantiya Sûriyeyê". ANF News (in Kurdish). 24 August 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  6. ^ Said, Rodi (13 December 2018). Francis, Ellen; Perry, Tom; Chopra, Toby (eds.). "Exclusive: U.S.-backed SDF vows to fight any Turkish attack in north Syria". Reuters. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d Wright, Robin (2019-04-04). "How Trump Betrayed the General Who Defeated ISIS". The New Yorker. ISSN 0028-792X. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  8. ^ a b Hubbard, Ben; Schmitt, Eric (2019-05-12). "They Were 'Comrades in Arms' Against ISIS. Now the U.S. Is Eyeing the Exit". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-05-13.
  9. ^ Williams, Holly (October 2018). "What remains to be done in the final phase of America's war on ISIS". CBS News. CBS Interactive Inc. CBS. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  10. ^ Smith, Hannah Lucinda (2019-10-24). "Senators call on Trump to invite Kurdish general Mazloum Kobani to Washington". The Times. Retrieved 2019-10-25.
  11. ^ a b c d Gurcan, Metin (7 November 2019). "Is the PKK worried by the YPG's growing popularity?". al-Monitor. Retrieved 7 November 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Wright, Robin (20 October 2019). "America's Ally in Syria Warns of Ethnic Cleansing by Turkey". The New Yorker. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d Acun, Keskin; Bünyamin, Can (2017). "THE PKK'S BRANCH IN NORTHERN SYRIA PYD-YPG" (PDF) (in Turkish). Ankara: SETA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-02-17. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  14. ^ "Mazlum Kobani için tutuklama ve iade talebi". www.haberturk.com. 25 October 2019.
  15. ^ Altun, Fahrettin (November 12, 2019). "Washington should not be hosting a terrorist" (op-ed). Washington Examiner.
  16. ^ Mogelson, Luke (18 April 2020). "America's Abandonment of Syria". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  17. ^ a b Abdi, Mazloum (13 October 2019). "If We Have to Choose Between Compromise and Genocide, We Will Choose Our People". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  18. ^ Rand, Alex (6 November 2017). "From Kobane to Raqqa". Middle East Studies Center. Ohio State University. College of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 3 April 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
  19. ^ "SDF signs UN plan to end use of children in Syrian conflict". The Defense Post. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  20. ^ "Report: Syrian army to enter SDF-held Kobani, Manbij". Reuters. 13 October 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  21. ^ "Turkey Says U.S. Must Extradite Syrian Kurdish Commander". New York Times. Reuters. October 25, 2019. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
  22. ^ "Sayfalar - kirmizitamliste". Archived from the original on 2015-11-09. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
  23. ^ "Terör listesinde 'renk' dönemi". www.ntv.com.tr.
  24. ^ "Son dakika: ABD'li komutanın yanındaki isim bakın kim çıktı! - Son Dakika Haberler". Milliyet. 26 April 2017.
  25. ^ Holland, Steve (October 17, 2019). "Trump warned Erdogan in letter: 'Don't be a tough guy' or 'a fool'". Reuters – via www.reuters.com.
  26. ^ Cummings, William. "Return to sender: Turkish President Erdogan says he gave back Trump's 'don't be a tough guy' letter". USA TODAY.
  27. ^ a b "Erdoğan Says He Returned Trump's Threatening Letter". Bianet. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
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