Influential AANES female leader from Syria’s Raqqa dies in surgery
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – People and activists in Raqqa Governorate, northern Syria, mourned on Saturday the former co-chair of the Raqqa Civil Council affiliated with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), who passed away during surgery in Damascus.
Layla Mustafa, 36, served as the co-chair of Raqqa’s Civil Council for five years.
She passed away while undergoing surgery to remove liver cysts. She was diagnosed in Damascus and suffered from the illness for three months.
Mustafa studied civil engineering before the start of the Syrian crisis and graduated in 2013. She moved with her family to Hasakah when the Islamic State (ISIS) took control of Raqqa.
In late 2018, Mustafa was chosen as the co-chair of the Raqqa Civil Council and contributed to the revival of the city, of which 80 percent was estimated to be destroyed during the war.
She was elected as the co-chair of the Raqqa Civil Council in the founding meeting held in 2017, with the approval of more than 120 attendees representing various components, segments, and tribal leaders and notables of Raqqa.
Mustafa, a native of Raqqa, won the 2021 World Mayor Award presented by the “City Mayors” foundation to outstanding mayors around the world who have served their citizens with integrity, justice, and equality.
This achievement was the result of her diligent efforts and successful administrative work during her tenure, and her significant contribution to the revival of Raqqa after it was liberated from ISIS.
Mustafa was also the first woman in the city’s history to hold a senior administrative position, where she managed to achieve significant progress in recovering from the aftermath of war.