Salih Muslim, Veteran Kurdish PYD Politician, Dies in Erbil Hospital at 75

PUKMEDIA

Kurdish Politician and PYD Senior figure, Salih Muslim.

Salih Muslim, a prominent Kurdish political leader and senior member of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) in northern Syria’s Rojava region, died on Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the age of 75. 

According to reports, Muslim passed away in a hospital in Erbil (Hewlêr), Iraqi Kurdistan, where he had been receiving treatment after suffering from kidney failure. 

Born in the Kurdish city of Kobanê in northern Syria, Muslim was widely known as one of the leading figures in Kurdish politics over the past decades. He played a central role in the leadership of the PYD — the dominant party in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria — serving for many years on the party’s Co‑Presidential Council and as a co‑chairman. 

Under his leadership, the PYD and allied Kurdish forces became key actors in the fight against ISIS, and in establishing a self‑governing administration in predominantly Kurdish areas of Syria. Muslim was also a frequent interlocutor with regional and international leaders on behalf of the Kurdish movement. 

His death prompted expressions of condolences from political and social figures, and many observers noted his decades of influence in the region’s complex political landscape. 

Details about funeral arrangements and official statements from the PYD leadership are expected to be released in the coming hours.


PUKMEDIA