Kurdistan Region gathers humanitarian aids for Rojava relief

Shafaq News- Erbil/ Kirkuk

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq on Monday intensified its humanitarian assistance to Syria’s Kurdish-run Rojava, as the region continues to face growing humanitarian challenges.

At a press conference in Erbil, Mohammed Shukri, head of the Kurdistan Investment Authority, disclosed that about 700 million Iraqi dinars ($480,000) were collected to support Rojava, with contributions from business figures across the Kurdistan Region’s four provinces: Erbil, Al-Sulaymaniyah, Halabja, and Duhok.

Explaining that the funds are earmarked to procure essential goods, logistics services, and other humanitarian supplies, he expected the aid’s delivery in the near term.

In Kirkuk, residents and social activists assembled more than 15 trucks carrying roughly 250 tons of food supplies, as well as financial donations, as part of a community-driven initiative to support Kurdish areas facing multiple humanitarian pressures.

Aku Kirkuki, representative of Kirkuk residents, confirmed to Shafaq News that the aid crossed the Faysh Khabur border crossing into Syria, noting that the assistance was gathered through voluntary efforts over the past three days, and residents intend to continue collecting aid and are preparing for a second phase of assistance in the coming days.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Mahdi, head of the Barzani Charity Foundation, confirmed that a humanitarian convoy has already departed toward Kobani and other areas of Rojava, and that foundation teams are supervising the delivery process.

Earlier, hundreds of residents and civil society activists gathered in Erbil and Al-Sulaymaniyah to protest the recent military escalation in Kurdish areas of northeast Syria, urging the international community and the United Nations to protect civilians.

Clashes erupted last week between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) east of Aleppo before spreading to Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor, and Hasakah. Despite a ceasefire declared on January 18 and later extended by 15 days, fighting has persisted, with the United Nations reporting the displacement of more than 130,000 people.

*Rojava refers to the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), a self-governing region in northern and northeastern Syria that emerged during the civil war after 2012 and is secured mainly by the SDF.

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