Kurdish groups have declared a democratic federal system in regions of northern Syria that border Turkey. Washington, which has been supportive of Syrian Kurds, said it does not recognize autonomous zones in the country.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/C. P. Tesson
Advertisement
The Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) of Syria, along with several allied groups, on Thursday announced that three Kurdish-led regions voted in favor of a democratic federal system under the name Rojava-Northern Syria.
"The Rojava-Northern Syria founding document was adopted by the constituent assembly," the PYD said in a tweet.
Kurds took to the streets in the Syrian city of al-Qamishli near the Turkish border to celebrate the announcement.
Mansour al-Salum, head of the administrative council of Rojava-Northern Syria, said the new authorities would work to unify all ethnic groups living in the areas, reported Irbil-based Kurdish news outlet Rudaw.
"We will preserve the oneness of the Syrian land and the right of all elements living under the federal system [in Syria's Kurdistan]," said al-Salum at a press conference.
"We had a successful experience with the system of canton in the past and this decree of federalism system will help resolve issues in Syria," al-Salum added.
Kurds in Syria, the country's largest ethnic minority group, have been systematically persecuted by Syrian and Turkish authorities, according to human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Turkey: Dreaming of Kurdistan
04:30
This browser does not support the video element.
Reactions
The Syrian government decried attempts to undermine the nation's territorial integrity in a statement made by a foreign ministry source, carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA).
"Raising the issue of a federation or that of federalization would affect the territorial integrity of Syria, which goes against the constitution, national concepts and international resolution," the source said.
The PYD and other Kurdish groups were not invited to UN-backed negotiations between Damascus and the Saudi-backed mainstream opposition alliance High Negotiations Committee (HNC).
Meanwhile, US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Washington does not recognize self-governing areas or autonomous zones in Syria.
"We're not interested in self-autonomous ... areas in Syria," Kirby said, adding that federalism would have to be an option explored by all parties of the conflict.
The US has been supportive of Syrian Kurds fighting the "Islamic State" militant group in Syria, with Defense Secretary Ash Carter on Thursday saying the Kurds "have proven to be excellent partners of ours on the ground in fighting ISIL (Islamic State)," referring to the PYD's armed wing, People's Protection Unit (YPG), according to AFP news agency.
Picking up the rubble in troubled southeast Turkey
In Diyarbakir, Turkey's Kurdish capital, government forces are ending operations against PKK-linked fighters and leaving behind a UNESCO area laden with bullet holes, rubble and police checkpoints. Diego Cupolo reports.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Walking on rubble
After more than three months of urban warfare, Turkish forces are pulling out of Diyarbakir, where they've been trying to eradicate militants linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). On Monday, shopkeepers were seen sweeping up broken glass and reopening stores in areas once held under curfew, but fighting continues in six districts, which remain closed to the public.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Damage in Sur
The area worst hit by fighting was Sur, a historic district encircled by UNESCO-listed Roman era walls (visible in the center of the photo above). With streets too narrow for armored vehicles, the old city was well-suited for guerilla warfare and provided cover for militants trying to avoid ground and air attacks. Several historic sites were damaged as a result.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Back to normal
Residents are slowly returning to areas where fighting took place and finding a neighborhood damaged beyond repair. Locals estimate heavy artillery rounds have hit more than half of the buildings in Sur. While the complete death count has yet to be confirmed, the Turkish government said it lost 271 soldiers in the battles.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Fragmented life
Much of the street fighting has ended in Sur, but gun battles occurred on Monday night and there were seven deaths on Sunday, when PKK-sympathizers were caught inside a collapsed building. As people re-enter the recently opened corridors, they are faced with police checkpoints in and around the Sur district, and tensions remain high as helicopters circle overhead.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Ongoing war
Despite recent skirmishes, Turkish forces are winding down operations in Diyarbakir and have pulled out completely from Cizre, Idil, Jilopi and Dargecit. At the same time, they are opening new fronts in other parts of the nation's Kurdish region. This week, new military campaigns began in Yuksekova, Nusaybin and Sirnak.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Ocalan's legacy
Political graffiti is as common as bullet holes in Sur. Above, a woman passes a tag referencing Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the PKK, a group formed in the late 1970s to begin an armed struggle against the Turkish state for the expansion of Kurdish rights. At the moment, Kurds remain the largest group of stateless people in the world.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Collateral damage
A local teenager holds a bullet that was lodged in the front door of his family's home. Throughout the street battles, Turkish forces used battering rams to enter households in Sur and clear the district of opposition fighters. The teenager, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Turkish forces destroyed homes to punish residents for harboring 'terrorists,' regardless of their affiliations.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Lookouts at every corner
Two men push a cart through a lot recently cleared of sandbag trenches and rubble fallen from surrounding buildings. A man in a nearby bakery pointed out two lookouts on opposite corners of the lot. He said one worked for the government, while the other, who was sitting casually on a couch in the street, worked for the PKK.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Prospects of civil war
"Without a stable Turkey, there cannot be a stable Europe or United States and this conflict can become a civil war very easily," said Ramazan Tunc, an advisor for the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), a socialist Kurdish group. "Just think about where the refugees from [a war like this] will go."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
To be rebuilt 'like Toledo'
Once operations end in Diyarbakir, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the architecture in Sur would be restored to rival that of Toledo, Spain. "Our struggle will continue until public order is brought to every province, every village, every field, every mountain and plain and river on this land," he told Turkish media in February.
