12 Facts About Salih Muslim

Salih Muslim Muhammad is the co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party, the main party of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria.

Salih Muslim left the KDP-S in 2003 after becoming disillusioned by the party's failure to accomplish its objectives.

In 2003, Salih Muslim joined the newly formed Democratic Union Party, becoming a member of its executive council, and was elected as party head in 2010.

Salih Muslim returned to Qamishli in March 2011, following the beginning of the Syrian Civil War.

Salih Muslim was re-elected co-chairman of the PYD alongside Asya Abdullah on June 20,2022 during the party's 9th congress.

Salih Muslim, a citizen of Syria, was born in a Syrian village close to Kobani in 1951 to a Sunni Kurdish family.

Salih Muslim was buried in the family's hometown of Kobane in a public funeral which thousands of people attended.

Salih Muslim is a familiar face in European capitals where he is hosted by senior officials.

Salih Muslim is a frequent guest and speaker at European political institutions and events, inter alia in September 2016 invited to address the European Parliament.

Between 2012 and 2015, Salih Muslim was Ankara's top interlocutor within the PYD's Syrian Kurdish movement, which was inspired by former Kurdistan Workers' Party leader Abdullah Ocalan.

On 14 February 2018, two days after Salih Muslim was placed on the "most wanted terrorists" list by the Turkish Interior Ministry and had a bounty of 4 million Turkish lira placed on his head, he held a press conference at the seat of European Union institutions in Brussels.

Salih Muslim was briefly detained at Turkey's request on 25 February 2018 in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, but was released 2 days later, drawing angry protests from Turkey.