Clashes between government forces, NDF erupt in Syria’s Hasakah
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Heavy clashes erupted on Wednesday at dawn between the Syrian government forces and their affiliated National Defense Forces (NDF) militia inside the government-held neighborhoods in the city of Hasakah, northeastern Syria.
An exclusive local source inside the government-held neighborhoods said they heard the sounds of heavy weapons during the clashes at dawn, which resulted in several dead and wounded.
On Sep. 15, the NDF commander in Hasakah, Abdul Qadir Hamo, seized control over a bread bakery inside the government-held neighborhoods and expelled the soldiers of a government patrol after refusing to give them bread.
The people in that area displaced to areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) for fear of the escalation of the clashes.
In a circulated footage, Hamo accused a military figure, called Brigadier Hikmat, and the government forces’ Military Security of escalating the dispute and seizing NDF posts.
He accused Ali Mamlouk, Director of the National Security Bureau of Syria, of demanding $3 million to settle his status to what it was prior to tensions.
Hamo demanded his militants to target the government forces until Brigadier Hikmat hands over their posts and pledges not to disturb them. “You are not soldiers of the state. The state is your enemy,” he told his militants.
In mid-August, Hasakah Governorate witnessed security tension after Hamo physically assaulted Sheikh Abdul Aziz Muhammad al-Meslet, a leader in the Jubur tribe, and his nephew, enraging the tribe’s members who later took to the streets in Hasakah demanding the government hand over Hamo.
Later, the government forces seized the NDF posts. Since then the government-held neighborhoods witness tension between the two parties.