Asayish officers begin integration into Syrian Interior Ministry
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The integration of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) into Syria’s Interior Ministry officially entered its implementation phase, a senior security official in northeastern Syria said on Sunday.
Mahmoud Khalil Ali, known as Siyamand Afrin and serving as deputy commander of the Internal Security Forces in Hasakah Governorate, told Rudaw Media Network that interviews will be conducted on Sunday for 100 Asayish officers as part of the first stage of their incorporation into the Interior Ministry’s security structure.
“The officers will receive the same salaries they earned while serving in the Asayish,” Ali said, describing the move as the beginning of a formal and practical integration process.
He added that approximately 500 Asayish members from Afrin in northwestern Syria who recently returned to their hometowns will join Syria’s General Security forces in the district, a step he said is aimed at strengthening stability and security in the city.
Ali also outlined plans for the return of displaced residents to Ras al-Ain (Sere Kaniye) in northwestern Hasakah, saying his visit to the city is intended to prepare for the return of its inhabitants under a mechanism similar to that used in Afrin.
The process includes forming committees to clear landmines, compiling lists of families wishing to return, and assessing the condition of homes in Ras al-Ain and surrounding villages before organizing return convoys.
Separately, the official announced plans to visit Raqqa later on Sunday to meet with the governorate’s governor and discuss the return of displaced Kurdish residents from Raqqa currently living in Kobani.
On public services, Ali said the Alouk Water Station, a key facility supplying drinking water to Hasakah and Tel Tamr, is expected to partially resume pumping operations on July 1.
Located near Ras al-Ain, the Alouk station has been out of service since 2019. Its shutdown has forced residents of Hasakah and surrounding areas to rely largely on water delivered by tanker trucks, increasing costs and worsening water shortages across the region.