Security

Syrian Kurds brings military reinforcements to Qamishlo airport: SOHR

Asayish have reportedly brought military reinforcement in the vicinity of the Qamishlo airport, which is under control of the Syrian government.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/06/06 01:12

Syrian Kurdish Asayish forces in Deir ez-Zor (Photo: SDF Coordination and Military Operations Center/Twitter)

Syria Asayish Qamishlo northeast Syria SDF Damascus regime

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that the Syrian Kurdish Asayish, also known as Internal Security Forces, have brought military reinforcements to the vicinity of the Qamishlo airport, which is under control of the Syrian government.

Moreover, the Asayish reportedly stopped buses at checkpoints carrying Syrian government members on the road of Ali Faro in the countryside of Qamishlo, amidst increasing tension among both sides in the city.

The North Press Agency earlier reported that the Asayish on Thursday imposed a siege on Syrian government forces in Qamishlo airport, calling on Damascus to lift the siege they pose over Kurdish neighborhoods in Aleppo and its northern countryside.

These neighborhoods and areas in northern Aleppo house thousands of displaced Kurdish civilians from Afrin, who were displaced by the Turkish occupation of Afin in 2018.

These sieges came amidst Russian attempts to restore relations between Turkey and Syria. For years, Turkey has supported Syrian opposition groups in Syria and has controlled territory in northwest Syria.

Damascus has repeatedly called on the Turkish army to leave Syrian territory.

SOHR noted that this is the first incident of its kind during this year.

In the past, there have also been tensions and limited clashes between Syrian government forces and Kurdish forces in the Hasakah and Aleppo provinces over control and territory.

The Rojava Asayish was established in the early stages of the Syrian Civil War as a police force to protect Kurdish neighborhoods. During the anti-ISIS war, it came to be known as the Internal Security Forces after it expanded into Arab majority areas.

It is closely affiliated with the People’s Protection Units (YPG), a Syrian-Kurdish military force supported by the US-led Coalition against ISIS, that was later rebranded as the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in 2015, which is predominantly Arab.

Similarly to the YPG, the Asayish is known for its strides in gender equality, with 25 percent of its combat members being female. Moreover, it now has many Arab members.

Although lauded by the international community for its valiant efforts against ISIS, Turkey insists that SDF, YPG and Asayish are linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The SDF has denied these accusations, and has accused Turkey of backing Jihadist groups.