Clashes between Damascus and Kurdish forces began on January 6 in Aleppo's two Kurdish neighborhoods, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh, leading to the displacement of over 159,000 people. This military tension erupted after the implementation of the March 10, 2025 agreement, which envisioned the integration of Kurdish forces into state institutions, reached a deadlock. While tensions on the ground continue, Syria's Transitional President Ahmed Shara announced a historic decree today, declaring Kurds an "original and fundamental part of the Syrian people," recognizing Kurdish as a "national language," and declaring Newroz as a national public holiday across the country.
President Ahmed El-Shara’s decree on Kurds: Language, holiday, and citizenship. President Ahmed El-Shara issued Presidential Decree No. 13 of 2026. The decree emphasized that Syrian Kurdish citizens are a fundamental and original part of the Syrian people, and their cultural and linguistic identity constitutes an inseparable element of the multifaceted and unified Syrian national identity. Article (1): Syrian Kurdish citizens are considered a fundamental and original part of the Syrian people. Article (2): The state guarantees the right of Kurdish citizens to preserve their heritage and develop their mother tongue. Article (3): Kurdish is recognized as a national language and permitted to be taught in schools. Article (4): All restrictions from the 1962 census are abolished, granting Syrian citizenship to all citizens of Kurdish origin with full equality. Article (5): March 21st, Nowruz, is declared a paid public holiday in all regions. Article (6): Any discrimination or exclusion based on ethnic or linguistic grounds is legally prohibited.
Ardahan newspaper