US Edition
Published • loading... • Updated
Syrian Kurds return home to celebrate Nowruz for the first time since exile
Kurds returned after eight years of exile to Afrin, celebrating Nowruz publicly following a political deal that restored Kurdish rights and facilitated returns, officials said.
- Hundreds of Kurds returned to Afrin and celebrated Nowruz in al-Basouta with torches, flags, and a flame display spelling 'raperin'.
- Fighting in January prompted a deal to integrate Kurdish forces into Syria's army, and a government convoy of 400 families returned earlier this month after Masoud Barzani brokered the agreement.
- Under the 50-year Assad-era rule, public Nowruz celebrations were banned and Kurds marked it clandestinely, often lighting torches secretly, until now.
- Abdul Rahman Omar said his homecoming was bittersweet after eight years in exile, noting absent neighbors but expressing hope that others can return to their homeland now.
- Despite reintegration steps, Afrin's demographic changes and regional tensions persist after the 2018 Turkish offensive displaced Kurds and Arab Syrians occupied homes, while Turkey considers the SDF linked to the PKK.
Insights by Ground AI
24 Articles
24 Articles
Video: Syrian Kurds return to Afrin, celebrate Nowruz for first time since exile and official recognition
Syrian Kurds have returned to Afrin to celebrate Nowruz for the first time after their exile, and for the first time after a government decree marked the celebration as a national holiday. (AP video shot by: Ghaith Alsayed) Subscribe: http://smarturl.it/AssociatedPress Read more: https://apnews.com This video may be available for archive licensing via https://newsroom.ap.org/home
Coverage Details
Total News Sources24
Leaning Left8Leaning Right2Center11Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Center
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources are Center
52% Center
L 38%
C 52%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
