Kurdish National Council

Not to be confused with Kurdistan National Congress or Kurdish National Alliance in Syria.

Kurdish National Council
Encûmena Niştimanî ya Kurdî li Sûriyê
Arabic nameالمجلس الوطني الكوردي
LeaderIbrahim Biro
Founded26 October 2011 (13 years ago)
HeadquartersQamishli
Erbil[1]
Paramilitary wingRojava Peshmerga[2]
IdeologyKurdish nationalism[3][4]
Federalism[3][4]
Anti-Iran[5]
Pro-KDP
National affiliationKurdish Supreme Committee (2012–2015)
National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces[6]
International affiliationKurdistan Democratic Party[3]
People's Council
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Democratic Council
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Politics of Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
Symbols
Constitution
Legislature and Government
Elections
Political parties
Party alliances
Administrative regions
Foreign relations

The Kurdish National Council (KNC, Kurdish: Encûmena Niştimanî ya Kurdî li Sûriyê, ENKS; Arabic: المجلس الوطني الكوردي, romanized: al-Majlis al-Waṭaniyy Al-Kurdi) is a Syrian Kurdish political party. While the KNC had initially more international support than the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD)[7] during the early years of the Syrian civil war and a strong supporter basis among some Syrian Kurdish refugees,[8] the overwhelming popular support the PYD enjoys has eroded support for the KNC in Syrian Kurdistan, losing almost all popular support.[7]

Since 2012, the alleged authoritarian and Kurdish nationalist politics of the KNC has led many political parties to leave it. Over the years, its membership has shrunk and it has lost many of its supporters. Among the factions that left the KNC were the Kurdish Democratic Progressive Party in 2015,[9] and the parties in the Kurdish National Alliance in Syria[10] and the Syrian Yazidi Council in 2016. As a result, the KNC had only two seats left in the Syrian Democratic Council by 2017.[11][12][13]

  1. ^ Gunes, Lowe (2015), p. 5.
  2. ^ "Rojava's Peshmerga forces refuse to join Azaz battle to avoid confrontation with fellow Kurdish troops". ARA News. 14 June 2016. Archived from the original on 15 June 2016.
  3. ^ a b c "The Kurdish National Council in Syria". Carnegie Middle East Center. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Kurdish National Council in Syria condemns federalism declaration by Kurdish rival". ARA News. 19 March 2016. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Syrian Kurds divided on relations with Iraqi Kurds". ARA News. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 19 October 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  6. ^ "PYD Leader Skeptical of Kurdish Agreement With Syrian Opposition". Rudaw.net. 9 March 2013. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012.
  7. ^ a b Gunes, Lowe (2015), p. 13.
  8. ^ "Syrian Kurdish refugees divided over federalism decl". ARA News. 23 March 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2016.
  9. ^ "Al-Qamishli: Progressive Party suspends its membership in Kurdish National Council". KurdWatch. 13 July 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Al-Qamishli: A new party alliance formed". Kurd Watch. 23 February 2016. Archived from the original on 17 January 2019.
  11. ^ "Tensions between Syrian Kurdish parties intensify, local security forces deny involvement - ARA News". ARA News. 8 December 2016. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  12. ^ Antonopoulos, Paul (19 September 2016). "Ezidi National Council resign from Turkey-based Syrian National Council". al-Masdar News. Archived from the original on 21 September 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2017.
  13. ^ Azad, Reband. "Barzanis' Betrayal of the Kurds: Rojava, Yazidis, KNC and Turkey". Archived from the original on 26 December 2016.