MESOP FLASH : YPG (PYD/PKK) solidifies control over ethnically mixed towns / Burning houses of Arab residents

WEST KURDISTAN (SYRIA) – 24 March 2015 – Syria Direct — YPG police forces in Hasakah province announced on Monday they would begin recruitment efforts in two towns recently captured from the Islamic State (IS), reported the pro-Kurdish ANHA news outlet. Activists accuse the YPG forces of repeatedly burning the homes of Arab residents in the same area, south of Qamishli, around Tal Barak and Tal Hamees over the past month. The YPG denies the charge.  Both towns link IS territory in Iraq and Syria before being captured by YPG forces at the end of last month. Fighting for the towns caused nearly 13,000 people to flee their homes, reported the pro-Kurdish ARA news outlet, and occurred as part of a broader YPG campaign to expel IS from Hasakah province. Male and female recruits living in the villages who are in good health and possess at least a middle school diploma would be accepted into the Asayish forces, reported the pro-Kurdish ARA news outlet on Tuesday.