PYD – Kurdish forces impose curfew, raid districts in Syria’s Tirbespiye

11-04-2014 –  ARA News – Nusaybin, Turkey− The Kurdish forces of the Assayish and the Popular Protection Units (YPG) imposed a curfew in the city of Tirbespiye/al-Qahtaniyah in northeastern Syria since Tuesday, preventing people from getting in or out of the city. This came after the same forces constituted a security cordon all around the city, followed by raids on a number of houses.

The Assayish and the YPG forces −affiliated with the Democratic Union Party (PYD)− are since months in control over large areas in Tirbespiye city and the surrounding villages. Local sources in the predominantly Kurdish city of Tirbespiye mentioned to ARA News that on Tuesday evening “the PYD-linked Assayish and YPG forces called for a curfew through the woofers of three mosques, preventing, herewith, people from getting in or out of the city. They also deployed snipers on the roofs of buildings, to start then raids in Arab-populated al-Thawra neighbourhood and arrest many residents”.  

Speaking to ARA News, Jawad Obed, a resident of Tirbespiye, said: “The PYD ‘gangs’ (in reference to Assayish and YPG forces) arbitrarily arrest civilians and put an ‘X’ on houses to confiscate or demolish them.”

According to Obed, at least 12 people were arrested during the raids.

“Well-known figures and activists from different ideological backgrounds were arrested. The initial raids were focused on al-Thawra and al-Jihad neighbourhoods. Parents and family members of some Free Syrian Army rebels were targeted during the crackdown over the last two days,” Obed said. “The PYD-led militants have earlier detained dozens of civilians and kept them for nearly 50 days without any clear reasons. They (Assayish and YPG) have also imposed a law banning Arabs from purchasing houses or properties from Kurds or Christians in the area.”  On the other hand, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights quoted the Assayish General Command saying: “The reason behind these raids is the sleeping cells related to the recent bombings and explosives in Tirbespiye.” 

A list of the names and ages of those arrested in Tirbespiye was published by the Syrian Justice Center for Documentation on Wednesday evening.  The city of Tirbespiye/al-Qahtaniyah was exposed to a car bomb attack on Feb.12, 2014. On March 26, another suicide bombing took place in the city near one of the strongholds of the Kurdish YPG forces, which led to a number of casualties. Kurdish parties blamed members of the al-Qaeda splinter group −which is in conflict since months with the Kurdish forces− for Tirbespiye’s bombings.  Thus, under the pretext of maintaining civil peace in the area against any similar attacks, the Assayish and the YPG forces currently launch an arrest campaign against suspects in Tirbespiye.  Reporting by: Zara Seyda – Source: ARA News