MESOP : PYD CONTROLS WHOLE ECONOMY

How ISIL’s control on Mosul affects Syria Kurds

July 14, 2014 – ARA News – Qamishli, Syria – Lack of gas tubes causes hard living conditions to thousands of families in the Syrian northeastern city of Qamishli. Large portion of Qamishli’s need of gas used to be provided by the nearby Iraqi city of Mosul through Tel Kocher border crossing.

However, following the control of the al-Qaeda splinter group of the Islamic State (previously known as ‘ISIL’) on Mosul city and the closure of Tel Kocher’s border crossing, importing gas tubes from Iraq became nearly impossible.

Another part of Qamishli inhabitants’ need of gas was arriving from Syria’s Aleppo, but the increasing numbers of security checkpoints, beside the high transportation costs, led the majority of gas dealers to suspend their work. Speaking to ARA News in this regard, Ahmed Hussein, one of the gas merchants in Qamishli city, said: “Although in higher prices, gas used to be relatively available in the city.”

“However, after ISIL’s control on Mosul and closure of the border crossing between Iraq and Syria, merchants manipulated the prices; from 2200 Syrian Pounds to 4500 SP, that many people are unable to buy it now,” said Hussein. Khalid Omar, a resident of Qamishli  (called Qamishlo by its Kurdish majority), stressed the problems people face during Ramadan due to the high prices of the barely available gas tubes. According to Sawsan Salim, from Qamishli, “the monopoly rate increased amid lack of price-control committees to hold merchants responsible”.

Salim laded the responsibility on the Democratic Autonomous Administration (a local authority led by the Democratic Union Party ‘PYD’ in northern Syria) as “they control the region and its resources”. Rolan Omar, another interlocutor, said: “Few people are able now to buy gas tubes.”

Masha’l Othman, a greengrocer, expressed his content that gas tubes “are still available even with high prices”, telling ARA News: “We should accept this due to the crisis. However, the Auto-Administration should control the prices.”

“The Popular Protection Units ‘YPG’ (military arm of the PYD) are controlling Rumailan gas facility (east of Qamishli), so they should take out and distribute gas on people in the region,” said Sa’ad Suliman, a resident of Qamishli.