Syrian president makes Kurdish a 'national language'

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Friday making Kurdish a "national language" and granting the minority community national rights, as his army fights Kurdish forces in the north.

The decree makes Kurdish a national language that can be taught in public schools in areas where the minority community is heavily present. Sharaa also made the Kurdish New Year Nowruz, which falls on March 21, an official holiday. The decree grants nationality to Kurds, as 20 percent of them had been stripped of it under 1962 census.