Syrian Kurds declare Federal region in the North

A Kurdish official said the main Syrian Kurdish faction has declared a federal region in Kurdish-controlled areas in northern Syria, ABC news reported.

Nawaf Khalil, an official with the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said the announcement was made Thursday at a Kurdish conference being held in the town of Rmeilan in the northern province of Hassakeh.

The declaration comes as Syrian government representatives and their opponents are holding talks in Geneva on ways to end the war. The PYD, which is viewed by Turkey as a terrorist organization, has been excluded from those talks.

Khalil said that the federal region declared Thursday was called "Rojava - northern Syria." Rojava is a Kurdish word that refers to three distinct enclaves, or cantons, under Kurdish control in northern Syria: Jazira, Kobani and Afrin.

Source: MENA