PUK Delegation Attends Funeral of Kurdish Leader Salih Muslim in Qamishli

PUKMEDIA

PUK Delegation lays a wreath on late leader’s coffin.

Thousands of people in the city of Qamishli gathered to bid farewell to the body of prominent Kurdish politician and member of the Presidential Council of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), Salih Muslim. His body was later transported to Kobani for burial. During the ceremony, a message from Bafel Jalal Talabani, President of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), was delivered.

Thousands of Kurds, Arabs and Syriacs from across Rojava gathered at the March 12 Stadium to pay their final respects to the late Salih Muslim.

The ceremony, organised by the Martyrs’ Families Council in Qamishli, was attended by Kurdish and Arab political figures, representatives of tribal communities, as well as delegations from the PUK and political parties from both northern and southern Kurdistan.

In a message delivered during the funeral, PUK President Bafel Jalal Talabani described Salih Muslim as a lasting symbol of the Kurdish struggle. “We stand before a martyr with his head held high, a symbol of Kurdistan’s freedom. He gave his life for the cause of his people, and his name will remain immortal in the memory of the Kurdish struggle,” the message read.

The statement, which was read on his behalf by Luqman Wardi, a member of the PUK Leadership Council, described Salih Muslim as a symbol of Kurdish identity in Rojava and a comrade in arms. It noted that the Kurdish people had lost a prominent leader who devoted his life to the struggle of his people until the end.

The message also highlighted that Salih Muslim was not only a leader but also a close friend and comrade of Jalal Talabani. It added that although he was born in Kobani, his struggle extended across North, South and East Kurdistan, making him a national Kurdish figure.

President Bafel extended his condolences to Salih Muslim’s family, his comrades, the people of Rojava and all parts of Kurdistan, describing him as a devoted fighter who dedicated his life to freedom and to the Kurdish cause.

The ceremony began with a minute of silence. Obeid Atah, co-chair of the Martyrs’ Families Council in Qamishli, spoke about the more than fifty-year struggle of Salih Muslim for the Kurdish cause, noting that he fought tirelessly throughout those years without hesitation or expectation of reward.

Fawza Yousif, a member of the Presidential Council of the PYD, also offered condolences on behalf of the party and expressed appreciation for the solidarity shown by Kurds across all parts of Kurdistan. She sent greetings from Qamishli to Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Amed and Mahabad.

She said Salih Muslim had a long history of struggle for freedom, noting that since the 1980s he had worked to spread the ideas and philosophy of Abdullah Öcalan while advocating for the rights of the Kurdish people across all four parts of Kurdistan.

During the ceremony, a delegation from the PUK laid wreaths on the coffin of the late leader. His daughter, Parween Muslim, addressed the attendees, thanking officials in South Kurdistan for the support and medical care provided to her father, and pledging to continue the struggle in his footsteps.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, the body of Salih Muslim was carried on the shoulders of his comrades and supporters. A large funeral procession then departed from Qamishli towards Kobani, where he will be laid to rest.



PUKMEDIA