President Barzani receives Ammar al-Hakim, head of the National Wisdom Movement
ARK News.. President Masoud Barzani met with Ammar al-Hakim, leader of the National Wisdom Movement, in Pirmam.
The Barzani Headquarters announced that on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, President Barzani received Ammar al-Hakim, head of the National Wisdom Movement, and his accompanying delegation.
During the meeting, they discussed the political situation in Iraq and the wider region, as well as the obstacles and challenges facing the political process and the relations among Iraqi political parties.
The Barzani Headquarters added that President Barzani and Ammar al-Hakim also discussed the upcoming elections for the Iraqi Council of Representatives.
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President Barzani Extends Congratulations on the Occasion of the “Jama” Festival to Yazidi Sisters and Brothers
ARK News.. President Masoud Barzani congratulated the Kurdish Yazidis on the occasion of the Jama Festival, stressing that it is the duty of all parties to work toward protecting and strengthening the culture of coexistence and solidarity among all religious and ethnic communities in Kurdistan.
Below is the text of his message:
In the Name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful
I extend my warmest congratulations and blessings to all Yazidis in Kurdistan and around the world on the occasion of the Jama Festival.
The Yazidis are a cherished and inseparable part of the people of Kurdistan. Despite all the hardships and ordeals endured by our Yazidi sisters and brothers, including the imposition of an illegal and abnormal situation on Sinjar and their areas for several years—a matter that continues to concern us—the Kurdish Yazidis celebrate their religious festivals and occasions in peace and freedom, thanks to their strong faith and resilience.
On this occasion, I reaffirm that it is the duty of all parties to work for the protection and promotion of the culture and values of coexistence and unity among all religious and ethnic components of Kurdistan.
May your festival be blessed, and may you remain in happiness and well-being.
Masoud Barzani
October 6, 2025
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Masrour Barzani to Kurdistan’s Youth: Love Your Homeland and Believe in Yourselves
ARK News.. Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani affirmed that youth represent the nation’s hope and future, congratulating the organizers of the eighth “TEDx Nishtiman” conference and wishing them continued success.
Speaking at the event held at the Saad Abdullah Hall in Erbil, Prime Minister Barzani said:
“Youth are the hope and future of our homeland. I congratulate the organizers of "TEDx Nishtiman" and wish them lasting success. They are making efforts to strengthen the self-confidence of young people and raise awareness of their potential.”
He noted that “all sides have tried to discourage us, to instill despair, and to strip us of hope in our ability to develop our country. They created obstacles, stirred chaos, withheld our budget, provoked political crises, and caused us security and stability challenges.”
Barzani continued: “But thanks to the resilience of our beloved people, and with the support of all our esteemed partners, we have managed to overcome all these challenges. Not only will we continue to surmount these crises one after another, but we will also move forward steadily toward a more prosperous future, achieving major successes across various fields.”
Addressing Kurdistan’s youth, Prime Minister Barzani shared personal advice:
“Above all, you must love your homeland. Before coming here, I met two young people who asked me for two pieces of advice. I told them: first, love your homeland; second, believe in yourselves.”
He added: “Our response to anyone who wants to separate youth from their homeland is this: our young people know better than anyone the value of this land, for they understand that its soil is soaked with the blood of our martyrs, and every particle of this soil is sacred.”
Barzani further pointed to one of his government’s key achievements: diversifying Kurdistan’s economy beyond oil and gas. He highlighted efforts to bring farmers back to their lands and boost local production so that Kurdistan not only meets its domestic needs but also exports to international markets.
“For the first time, Kurdistan’s local products have been exported abroad, and the process is ongoing. This is a source of great pride for us,” he said.
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63rd Anniversary of the Exceptional Census that Stripped Kurds of Syrian Citizenship
ARK News.. Today, Sunday, October 5, 2025, marks the 63rd anniversary of the "Exceptional Census" of October 5, 1962, which stripped more than 300,000 Kurds in Syria’s Jazira region of their Syrian citizenship, according to Amnesty International’s 2011 report.
Following the Ba’ath Party’s seizure of power in 1963, successive Syrian governments pursued policies of Arabization, including changing Kurdish place names, banning Kurdish cultural expression, prohibiting Kurdish names for newborns, and implementing the “Arab Belt” project under Law No. 75 of 1964, which declared Hasaka a “border province.” Kurdish farmers were banned from owning agricultural land, reducing them to tenants on their own properties through annual leasing contracts with the Ministry of Agriculture.
The exceptional census, carried out under President Nazim al-Qudsi and Prime Minister Basheer al-Azma, divided Syria’s Kurds into three categories:
Full Syrian citizens.
Kurds stripped of citizenship, registered as “foreigners.”
Kurds deprived of nationality and unrecorded in civil registries, labeled “Maktoumeen” (“unregistered”).
This classification also extended to children born to mixed-status parents—such as an “unregistered” mother and a foreign father—further perpetuating statelessness across generations.
As a result of this discriminatory measure, hundreds of thousands of Kurds were denied basic civil, political, and economic rights tied to citizenship: the right to vote, work, travel, own property, register marriages and births, or perform military service. Stateless Kurds lived in a state of social exclusion marked by poverty, unemployment, and systemic discrimination.
Despite decades of protests, appeals, and promises by Syrian authorities to resolve the issue, the injustice persisted. In fact, conditions worsened with Legislative Decree No. 49 of September 10, 2008, which prohibited the registration of property transactions in border areas, further eroding Kurdish rights.
The Syrian National Organization for Human Rights described the census and its aftermath as a clear violation of Syrian nationality law and international human rights conventions ratified by Syria, warning of the damage inflicted on the country’s social fabric and national unity.
Although deposed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued Legislative Decree No. 49 in 2011 granting citizenship to Kurds registered as “foreigners” in Hasaka in a bid to win Kurdish support during the uprising, the move failed to sway the Kurdish population after five decades of repression. For many, citizenship alone could not compensate for decades of dispossession and denied rights.
The Kurdish community had already risen up in 2004 against Ba’athist oppression, sacrificing dozens of lives, with hundreds wounded and thousands detained. When the Syrian revolution erupted in 2011, Kurdish youth joined the uprising in mass, signaling that the legacy of the exceptional census and Ba’athist rule could not be erased with token gestures.
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Kurdistan Democratic Party–Syria Congratulates Voice of Kurdistan Radio on its 62nd Anniversary
ARK News.. The Kurdistan Democratic Party–Syria (KDP–S) extended its warm congratulations to the management and staff of Voice of Kurdistan Radio on the occasion of the station’s 62nd anniversary.
In its congratulatory message, the party leadership, cadres, and supporters expressed their highest regards to the radio, describing it as a “historic Kurdish media beacon.”
“Since its inception, Voice of Kurdistan Radio has been the voice of truth and of the Kurdish people across Kurdistan,” the statement read. “It played a pivotal role in broadcasting news of the September Revolution, the Gulan Revolution, and the March Uprising, serving as a vital bridge connecting Kurds throughout different parts of Kurdistan. In particular, it relayed the events of Kurdish revolutions and developments in the Kurdistan Region to our people in Syrian Kurdistan during the 1960s.”
The message also conveyed appreciation to all past and present administrators and media professionals who have worked at the station, wishing them continued success in carrying forward their noble mission.
The party concluded its message by affirming that Voice of Kurdistan Radio remains “a loyal voice reflecting the hopes and aspirations of the Kurdish people toward a better future, and a platform committed to the immortal Barzani path.”
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Public Anger Boils Over in Rural Homs After Killing of Two Young Men
ARK News.. A wave of tension and public anger has gripped the Wadi al-Nasara region in Homs province after two young Christian men were shot dead by masked gunmen in front of the village Mukhtar’s office in Anaz, western Homs countryside.
According to local sources, four assailants on two motorcycles opened fire with nearly 30 rounds directly at a group of people near the office, killing two men instantly and wounding others. The attackers then fled via the Dabbagha road leading to the village of al-Hussin.
The father of one of the victims reportedly refused to bury his son until the perpetrators are identified and arrested. Meanwhile, residents blocked main roads across Wadi al-Nasara and set tires ablaze in protest, while local community leaders called for a general strike in solidarity with the victims’ families and to demand an end to the growing security chaos.
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Coalition Brings Heavy Machinery to Qasrek Base in Hasaka
ARK News.. Following intensive military exercises in Qasrek, the U.S.-led International Coalition has transported several trucks loaded with heavy machinery to its base in Hasaka province.
Local sources reported that on Thursday morning, October 2, 2025, Coalition forces delivered concrete barriers and excavation equipment aboard 15 trucks to the Qasrek base in northern Hasaka.
Just days earlier, on September 29, 25 Coalition trucks had arrived at the same base carrying military and logistical equipment.
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Syria Closes Candidacy for People’s Assembly Elections, Announces Campaign Schedule
ARK News.. The head of Syria’s Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections has announced the official closure of the candidacy period for parliamentary elections across the country’s 50 electoral districts.
Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, chair of the Supreme Committee, confirmed that the window for candidate registration closed on Sunday, September 28, 2025, with a total of 1,578 candidates approved to run. Women make up 14% of the candidates, with female participation varying by governorate.
According to al-Ahmad, the official campaign period begins today, Monday, September 29, and will run through Friday evening. Saturday will be designated as an electoral silence day.
Polling will take place on Sunday, October 5, 2025, starting at 9:00 a.m. local time, with ballot counting scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.
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Fate of Over 500 Druze Civilians in Suwayda Remains Unknown
ARK News.. A Syrian human rights source has revealed that the fate of hundreds of people from the Druze community in Suwayda remains unknown, including dozens of women.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, that 516 members of the Druze community are still missing, including 103 women — a sharp increase from 235 female abductees at the beginning of this month.
According to the source, recent developments in Suwayda have resulted in the deaths of about 2,047 people from all sides of the conflict, including 1,592 residents of the province. Among them were 817 Druze civilians who were summarily executed by elements of the Ministry of Defense and affiliated auxiliary forces
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Qatar Thanks Kurdistan Regional Government
ARK News.. Faris Isa, Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government Representation in Baghdad, visited the Qatari Embassy in Baghdad today, Tuesday, September 16, 2025, where he was received by Sultan bin Mubarak al-Kubaisi, Qatar’s Ambassador to Iraq.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the regional situation, particularly the recent attack on Qatar’s capital, Doha, last week and its implications for the region.
Ambassador al-Kubaisi expressed his gratitude and appreciation for the Kurdistan Regional Government’s stance regarding the attack carried out by Israel against Qatar, noting that such a position was expected from the KRG.
He also highlighted the strong relations between the Kurdish and Qatari peoples, especially in the fields of economy, investment, and tourism.
The ambassador praised the progress achieved in the Kurdistan Region across various sectors, stressing that this development is the result of the plans and efforts of Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s government, which should continue its programs to ensure a better future for the people of Kurdistan
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