Shahba region

Geography

The de facto autonomous administrative region of Shahba denotes the parts of Northern Aleppo Governorate of Syria that are under the administrative control of Federation of Northern Syria – Rojava between Afrin Canton and Kobanî Canton, mostly consisting of parts of Azaz District and Manbij District.

The autonomous administrative region of Shahba is split in two parts as a result of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) occupying an area from the south to al-Bab city, and Free Syria Army / Turkish forces occupying the area from al-Bab to the Turkish border in the north. The western part of Shahba Region is situated around the city of Tel Rifaat, the eastern part around the city of Manbij, Arima and Tishrin town. The western (Tel Rifaat) element of Shahba region borders Afrin Canton to the west and clockwise areas controlled by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and by the Syrian government. The eastern (Manbij) element of Shahba region borders Kobanî Canton to the east and clockwise areas controlled by ISIL and by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels.

At latitude approximately 36 and a half degrees north, the landscape consists of plains and low hills, rivers being Dhahab and Sajur. Part of the Fertile Crescent, its climate is "warm mediterranean" on the Köppen climate classification, as opposed to the colder, semi-arid regions to the south.

Demographics

The ethnically highly diverse population of Shahba region consists of Arab Syrians and Arabized Kurds found throughout the region, as well as a considerable Circassian and Chechen population in the city of Manbij and a considerable Syrian Turkmen and Arabized Turkmen population toward the north of the region. A smaller minority are Armenians. Toponymy and maps published by the French colonial authorities indicate that a significant percentage of inhabitants of Shahba who are officially classified as Arabs actually have Kurdish origins.

As of March 2016, there were 450 inhabited villages in the Shahba region, 217 (48%) of them are Kurdish. The population totaled 1.8 million in the region.

Manbij and Tell Rifaat are the largest cities administered by de facto autonomous civil administrations operating under the umbrella of the Federation of Northern Syria - Rojava. According to the 2004 Syrian census Manbij had 99,497 inhabitants and Tell Rifaat 20,514

Historical background

The 'Shahba region' area has seen human settlement since the early neolithic. In Classical Antiquity, the region was part of Chalybonitis (with its center at Chalybon or Aleppo), Chalcidice (with its center at Qinnasrīn العيس), and Cyrrhestica (with its center at Cyrrhus النبي حوري). This area was one of the most fertile and populated of the region. Under the Romans the region was made in 193 CE part of the province of Coele Syria or Magna Syria, which was ruled from Antioch. The province of Euphratensis was established in the 4th century CE in the east, its center was Hierapolis Bambyce (Manbij) which is still the main city of the region.

Under the Rashidun and Umayyad Muslim dynasties, the region was part of the Jund Qinnasrīn. In the Abbasid period the region was under the independent rule of the Hamdanids. The Mamluks and later the Ottomans governed the area until 1918. During the Ottoman Empire (1299–1922), the region was part of the Vilayet of Aleppo, large Kurdish-speaking tribal groups both settled in and were deported to areas of northern Syria from Anatolia. The largest of these tribal groups was the Reshwan confederation, which was initially based in Adıyaman Province but eventually also settled throughout Anatolia. The Milli confederation, mentioned in 1518 onward, was the most powerful group and dominated the entire northern Syrian steppe in the second half of the 18th century. The Kurdish dynasty of Janbulads ruled the region of Aleppo as Ottoman governors in 1591–1607. At the beginning of the 17th century, districts of Jarabulus and Seruj on the left bank of the Euphrates had been settled by Kurds.

During the French Mandate the region was part of the brief State of Aleppo. In modern post-independence Syria, the Kurdish society of the region was subject to heavy-handed Arabization policies by the Damascus government.

During the Syrian Civil War and Rojava conflict

The second half of 2012, most of the region was captured from the Syrian government by opposition groups, including the People's Protection Units (YPG) and its ally Jabhat al-Akrad. In January 2014 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), who had been infiltrating the region over the course of the previous year, launched a massive assault, which eventually captured almost the entire Shahba region including Manbij, Jarabulus and Al-Bab, up to Dabiq.

On the western side, some territory in Azaz district stayed under control of non-ISIL forces, villages and towns occasionally contested and changing hands between Afrin Canton based YPG and allies (all since October 2015 under the umbrella of the Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF) and diverse rebel militias, until finally a February 2016 offensive by SDF forces, inter alia capturing Tel Rifaat and Menagh Airbase, created today's borderline between them.

On the eastern side, in December 2015 the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched an offensive from the East across the Euphrates river and captured the strategic Tishrin Dam and surrounding villages, forming a small salient on the western bank of the river. In the following months an offensive to capture Manbij city from ISIS was planned, but was delayed because of opposition and demands from the Turkish government. In May 2016 the SDF launched an offensive towards Manbij city along 3 axes: from the north and south along the banks of the Euphrates river, and on the southern outskirts of Manbij city aiming to block the Raqqa-Manbij road. From 30 May to 12 June 2016, the Manbij offensive captured more than 100 villages from ISIL. On 14 August 2016, after securing Manbij, the SDF established the Al-Bab Military Council with the goal of securing the city of al-Bab and its surrounding countryside. On 19 August 2016, the SDF component Manbij Military Council announced that it took over the security of Manbij city center and surrounding villages.

From late August 2016, Turkey assembled some Syrian rebel groups who with Turkish military support captured a strip of territory along the Turkish border from ISIL including the town of Jarabulus. This included some combat with Jarabulus Military Council SDF forces, which eventually settled for an armistice line along the Sajur River. To the south, SDF forces started offensives against ISIL west of Al-Bab in September 2016 and again in October 2016, capturing several villages in the process.

Politics and administration

Since its foundation the Shahba region has a Shahba Regional Assembly with its own council and senate.

Shahba Regional Assembly has a direct representative inside the Democratic Syria Assembly (MSD) and Cîhan Xedro is also formally elected to represent the Al-Shahba region inside the MSD.

Shahba autonomous region is governed following the Constitution of Rojava. It is noted for its explicit affirmation of minority rights, gender equality and a form of direct democracy known as Democratic Confederalism.

Article 8 of the 2014 of the Rojavan constitution stipulates that "all Cantons in the Autonomous Regions are founded upon the principle of local self-government. They may freely elect their representatives and representative bodies, and may pursue their rights insofar as it does not contravene the articles of the Charter."

The governing party of Shahba region is the Syrian National Democratic Alliance (Arabic: التحالف الوطني الديمقراطي السوري‎‎, TWDS). It is a left-wing multi-ethnic political party established in 2014 in northern Syria.

On 12 March 2017, a new civil administration council in Manbij was declared. The new council consist of several committees and include 71 Arabs, 43 Kurds, 10 Turkmen, 8 Circassians, and an Armenian and a Chechen.

Executive officers

The prime ministers were elected and the remaining Executive Council appointed as follows:

Police

Like in all Rojava cantons, security in Shahba region primiarily is an affair for the cantonal Asayish police force. International media have reported high interest in Shahba region population to join these forces, the female component of which has drawn particular attention.

On 22 February 2017, the Asayish handed over the security responsibility of Manbij to an internal security force formed in the city.

Education

In the eastern Manbij part of the region, public schooling has regained secular normalcy after the ISIL episode.