The Arab League rejects last week’s declaration by Syrian Kurds of a de facto federal region in northern Syria.
The league’s deputy chief, Ahmed bin Helli, says on Monday that calls for federalization could impact Syria’s unity.
Last Thursday, a meeting of some 200 Kurdish officials declared they were establishing a federal region. The officials insisted they are not seeking secession — but rather making sure the country remains one nation.
Syrians on a bike stop at a checkpoint monitored by a member of the internal Kurdish security forces in the Al-Shallal suburb of Al-Hol on November 19, 2015, after Syrian Democratic Forces took control of the area from Islamic State. (AFP PHOTO/DELIL SOULEIMAN)
In Syria’s civil war, Kurdish fighters have emerged as the most effective fighting force against the Islamic State group and are backed militarily by the United States.
The Kurds, a longtime oppressed minority, have taken advantage of the chaos of the civil war to advance their goals of autonomy. After government troops withdrew from Kurdish areas to focus elsewhere in Syria, they declared their own civil administration in 2013.
— AP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Monday, March 21, 2016
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
