Turkmen-origin Syrian deputy defence chief quits after Kurdish rights decree

Syria’s Deputy Defence Minister, Fehim Isa — a senior military commander of Turkmen origin — has tendered his resignation, citing what he describes as persistent discrimination against the Turkmen community, Turkish newspaper Yeni Şafak reports.

Isa said he was leaving his post in protest against the “systematic marginalisation” of Syrian Turkmens, noting that Kurds were being granted special linguistic and cultural privileges not extended to other groups.

His resignation comes shortly after President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Friday, January 16, designating Kurdish as a “national language.” The decree formally extends national rights to Syria’s Kurdish minority and declares the Kurdish new year, Nowruz, a national holiday.

The decision also reinstates citizenship for Kurds who lost it under the 1962 census — a long-standing demand of the Kurdish community.

Sharaa’s decree represents a significant policy shift after decades in which Kurdish-language education, publishing, and broadcasting were tightly restricted under Assad’s rule. Since Bashar al-Assad’s removal from power in December 2024, the government has been working to reestablish centralised authority across the country.

A March agreement envisioned the integration of the northern Kurdish autonomous administration and its forces into state structures, but disagreements have slowed the process, leading to recurring clashes. Kurdish political leaders continue to call for a decentralised federal system — a proposal firmly rejected by Damascus.

By Tamilla Hasanova