Afrin ( /
ALA-LC:
ʿAfrīn or
ʿIfrīn; ) is a district as well as a town in northern Syria. As a district (
mantiqah) of the
Syrian Arab Republic, it is part of the
Aleppo Governorate. However, since 2012, the Syrian government has lost control of the district, and as the capital of
Afrin Canton it is now part of the
de facto autonomous region of
Rojava. The total population of the district as of 2004 was recorded at 172,095 people, of whom 36,562 lived in the town of Afrin itself. The town and district are named for the
Afrin River. The town of Afrin is located next to a bridge of the
Aleppo road.