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Kurdish Militias Conduct Mass Arrests in Arab Villages Over Alleged ISIS Links

Opposition outlet Zaman al-Wasl reports that Kurdish forces are targeting Arab residents of Syria's northern region in campaigns of discrimination and forced displacement, amid rapid advances by the Western-backed forces against ISIS positions in the area
Kurdish Militias Conduct Mass Arrests in Arab Villages Over Alleged ISIS Links

Kurdish militants stormed an Arab village in the northeastern countryside of Raqqa city on Monday, arresting all men in the area and humiliating the women, over claims of residents' links with the Islamic State (ISIS).

Three people in the village of Al-Awad were also wounded when the Kurdish Democratic Union Party fighters opened fire on residents, local activists said.

The Arab-majority villages in northeastern Syria have been suffering brutal discrimination and forced displacement under Kurdish militias.

Civilians in ISIS-held areas of the northeastern province of Hassakeh are not able to flee as clashes intensify between ISIS forces and the U.S.-backed Kurdish militias, activists said.

ISIS influence in Hassakeh has declined rapidly due to rapid advances by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led alliance backed by ground and aerial support from Washington.

This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.

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