The population of Shahba Canton mainly consists of Arab Syrians and Arabized Kurds found throughout the canton, as well as a considerable Syrian Turkmen and Arabized Turkmen population toward the north of the canton. Toponymy and maps published by the French colonial authorities indicate that a significant percentage of inhabitants of Shahba who are officially classified as Arabs have Kurdish origins.[13] From early 2018, thousands of Kurds fled from Afrin and resettled in Shahba Canton.[2]