Sozdar Muhammad

After facing major local, regional and international pushback—including a Turkish threat to invade northeastern Syria—the AANES postponed municipal elections scheduled for this week until August, citing “internal” reasons and “the demands of the political parties and alliances participating.”

Erbil indicated it would again allow Syrians to renew their residency permits without conditions on Tuesday, reversing a prohibitive social security registration requirement and bringing relief after weeks of uncertainty.

The government of Iraqi Kurdistan is once more granting entry visas to Syrian passport holders, but limits them to those with interviews scheduled at foreign consulates and embassies. Meanwhile, it has set “prohibitive” conditions for renewing residency permits.

Erbil’s April 4 decision to stop issuing visas to Syrians has been a disaster for those for whom the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was a safe haven from conscription or a place to reunite with family members after years of separation.