ARBIL, Iraq // Kurds in Syria’s north-east announced a transitional autonomous government on Tuesday, after making key territorial gains against jihadists in recent weeks.
The declaration comes amid a general strengthening of Kurdish rights in neighbouring Turkey, and increasing moves towards independence by Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region.
The announcement was made after talks in the mostly Kurdish town of Qamishli, and comes after Kurdish leaders announced plans to create the temporary government in July.
The transitional autonomous government involves the division of Syria’s Kurdish region into three areas, each with its own local assembly, as well as representatives to a regional executive body.
A statement issued on Tuesday detailed the “formation of a transitional civil administration for the area of Western Kurdistan-Syria”.
“The meeting was held two days ago in the town of Qamishli between all the local groups, which discussed the project of a transitional civil administration that was put forward by the PYD earlier,” it said, referring to the Kurdish Democratic Union Party.
“The key responsibilities of the transitional administration will be preparation of local election laws and preparing general elections, a well as political, military, security and economic issues in the region and Syria.”
Kurdish regions of northern Syria have been administered by local Kurdish councils since forces loyal to Syrian president Bashar Al Assad withdrew in the middle of 2012.
Kurds represent about 15 per cent of the Syrian population, and are mostly concentrated in the northern part of the country.
* Agence France-Presse
