The General Command of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) expressed their condolences to the family members of soldiers from Bashar al-Assad’s regime forces who were recently killed in clashes with the Asayish forces in the city of Qamishli and vowed to investigate the incident.
The command of the YPG (which Turkey classifies as a terrorist group) issued a statement saying:
“On the eighth of the month, a regrettable clash occurred between Asayish forces and regime forces in the city of Qamishli which resulted in a number of deaths and wounded others and created a tense and charged atmosphere.
“We express our condolences to the families of the victims and express our deep sorrow at what occurred, and confirm that the relevant agencies have opened an investigation into the incident and will disclose the results of the investigation immediately upon its conclusion. We call on both sides to remain calm and to take the national interest as a starting point to search for solutions.”
Since the beginning of the month, the city of Qamishli in northeastern Syria has witnessed violent clashes between Kurdish militias and Assad regime security forces, which have resulted in a number of dead and wounded, most of them on the regime side.
The incident caused a wave of anger among regime loyalists, who called for revenge against the Kurdish militias and for control to be regained over Qamishli.
Qamishli has been under the joint control of regime forces and Kurdish militias, whereby the regime controls the areas of Jabal Kowkab, the Security Square and Brigade 156 in the al-Hassakeh center, and has an airport and military brigade and a security square in Qamishli, while Kurdish militias control the remaining areas.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.