Afrin Region
| Afrin Region | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria | |||||||||
| 2014–2024 | |||||||||
Flag | |||||||||
The seven regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria in March 2024, the Afrin region in orange | |||||||||
| Capital |
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| Population | |||||||||
• 2018 | 323,000 | ||||||||
| Government | |||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||
• 2014–2024 | Hevi Ibrahim | ||||||||
| Historical era | Syrian Civil War | ||||||||
• Autonomy declared | 2014 | ||||||||
• Administration move to Tel Rifaat | 2018 | ||||||||
• Takeover by Syrian Interim Government | 2024 | ||||||||
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Afrin Region (Kurdish: Herêma Efrînê; Arabic: إقليم عفرين; Classical Syriac: ܦܢܝܬܐ ܕܥܦܪܝܢ, romanized: Ponyotho d'Afrin) was the westernmost of the three original regions of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.
The region previously had two subordinate cantons, the Afrin Canton, consisting of the Afrin city area (with the Şêrewa, Mobata, Şêra and Maydankah districts subordinate to it), the Jindires area (with the Şiyê district subordinate to it), Rajo area (with the Bulbul, Maydana and Bahdina districts subordinate to it), as well as the Shahba Canton consisting of the Tell Rifaat area (with the Ahraz, Fafin and Kafr Naya districts subordinate to it). The status of Manbij was unclear; while some reports described it as part of the Shabha Canton and Afrin Region, communal and regional elections weren't held there, and official documents that clarified the new regional framework didn't refer to Manbij.
Afrin Region was first declared autonomous under the name of Afrin Canton in January 2014. The subdivision of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was renamed Afrin Region during subdivision-congresses held in July and August 2017, while the name Afrin Canton was then given to one of its two subdivisions as the canton or province became the name for second-level subdivisions in the Federation. Most of the region's territory (including Afrin Canton) has been under the Turkish occupation of northern Syria since early 2018. The last elected prime minister of Afrin Region was Hevi Ibrahim. The administrative centre of the region was the city of Afrin, until that was lost and the administration shifted to Tell Rifaat. During the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, the remaining area around Tell Rifaat was also taken by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army.