KURDWATCH NEWSLETTER WEST KURDISTAN / FEBRUARY (II)

Al-Qamishli: PYD recruits child soldiers

KURDWATCH, February 3, 2014—On January 15, 2014, as part of the mass burial for the fighters for the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) People’s Defense Units (PYD) who were killed in Tall Hamis and Tall Birak [further information], fifteen-year-old Dalil Riyad Qasim Khalil (b. in alQamishli) was also laid to rest. His official burial by the PYD confirms that the YPG is also recruiting child soldiers.

ʿAmudah: PYD kidnaps activist

KURDWATCH, February 4, 2014—On January 29, 2014, members of the Asayiş, the security service of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), kidnapped Mamduh Muhammad Khalil (b. 1966 in ʿAmudah, married, six children) in ʿAmudah. Khalil is a member of ʿAbdulhakim Bashar’s Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria (el-Partî).

Tall Abyad: Renewed fighting between YPG and Islamist units

KURDWATCH, February 11, 2014—On January 27 and 28 as well as on February 2, 2014, fighting occurred west of the city of Tall Abyad (Girê Sipî) between fighters for the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) People’s Defense Units (YPG) and units of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. The Islamic State controls the city of Tall Abyad, while the YPG is dominant in several Kurdish villages west of the city. There are several dead and injured. The exact number is not known.

Tall Tamr: Yekîtî organizes demonstration

KUDWATCH, February 10, 2014—On January 22, 2014, several dozen supporters of the Kurdish Union Party in Syria (Yekîtî) took part in a rally in Tall Tamr. The participants called for »Federalism for Syrian-Kurdistan« and declared their support for the representatives of the Kurdish National Council at the peace talks in Geneva.

Al-Qamishli: Kurdish Youth Movement organizes demonstrations

KUDWATCH, February 9, 2014—On January 22, 23 and 24, the Kurdish Youth Movement organized demonstrations in alQahtaniyah (Tirbesipî), alMaʿbada (Girkê Legê), alJawadiyah (Çil Axa), alMalikiyah (Dêrik), and ʿAfrin. Hundreds of its supporters took part in the rallies, during which support was pledged for representatives of the Kurdish National Council at the peace talks and calls were made for the »recognition of the rights of the Kurds in Geneva«.

Al-Qamishli: Kurdish National Council expels leftist parties

KURDWATCH, February 9, 2014—On February 2, 2014, the General Secretariat of the Kurdish National Council expelled those of its members who are participating in the Democratic Union Party’s (PYD) transitional administration. Those affected are Muhammad Musa Muhammad’s Kurdish Left Party in Syria (formerly Kurdish Left Party in Syria [Congress]), Salih Gado’s Kurdish Democratic Left Party in Syria (formerly the Kurdish Left Party in Syria [Central Committee]), as well as the independent member Akram Hiso.

Al-Qamishli: State Security Service arrests worker

KURDWATCH, February 8, 2014—On January 24, 2014, employees of the State Security Service arrested Ahmad Muhammad ʿAbbas (b. in ʿAyn alȁʿArab [Kobanî]) in a hotel in alQamishli. ʿAbbas had been working in Iraqi-Kurdistan and was heading home toward ʿAyn alʿArab. The reasons behind his arrest are not yet known.

Al-Malikiyah: Three dead in attack

KURDWATCH, February 4, 2014—On January 23, 2014, three passersby were killed in a car bomb explosion in alMalikiyah (Dêrik). Additional people were injured. The reason behind the attack is unknown.

Al-Malikiyah: Shots fired at elPartî office

KURDWATCH, January 28, 2014—On January 21, 2014, unidentified people in alMalikiyah (Dêrik) fired at the office of ʿAbdulhakim Bashar’s Kurdish Democratic Party in Syria (elPartî).

Al-Maʿbada: Kurdish National Council office destroyed by fire

KURDWATCH, January 28, 2014—In the night from January 23to the night of January 24,  2014, unidentified people set on fire and destroyed the Kurdish National Council office in alMaʿbada (Girkê Legê). The local committee of the Kurdish National Council condemned the attack in a statement.

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