Rojava Asaiysh, Syrian government army faction exchange prisoners

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan24) – The security forces (Asaiysh) in Syria’s northern Kurdish areas known as Rojava exchange prisoners with a pro-Syrian regime armed militia.

Rojava’s Ayasiysh released 40 Arab prisoners in the exchange for releasing 70 Kurdish prisoners by the National Defense forces, a military faction of the Syrian government.

According to a Kurdistan24 reporter in Hassaka, the freed Kurdish prisoners were tortured during their captivity in the Syrian army prisons.

The Kurdistan24 reporter added that students and teachers were among the Kurdish prisoners who have been freed by the Syrian army, stating that four Syrian army commanders were also among those freed by the Rojava Asaiysh.

In April 2016, violent clashes erupted between Syrian government forces and the internal Kurdish forces (Asayish) in the Kurdish city of Qamishlo, northern Syria.

The clashes broke out between Syrian government forces and the Asayish at a checkpoint earlier on Wednesday, leaving eight regime soldiers killed and 12 arrested by the Asayish who lost three members as the fighting escalated.

These clashes followed by shelling Qamishlo by regime forces resulting in the death of civilians and both sides started arresting people over their involvement in the clashes.

Qamishlo, in Hasakeh province, is under the shared control of the Syrian regime and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing of People's Protection Units (YPG), who have declared zones of “autonomous administration” across parts of north and northeast Syria.

In January 2016, clashes began following a dispute between the Kurdish forces and the Sootoro forces affiliated with Syrian regime over a checkpoint in Al-Wusta quarter of Qamishlo.

Editing by Ava Homa