HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – The city of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), in northeastern Syria, witnessed an increasing number of violations in late October in light of the insecurity and the ongoing infighting between the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups occupying the area.
Turkish armed forces and Turkish-backed armed opposition groups took control of the cities of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad and their surrounding countryside in October of 2019, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Since the Turkish invasion, human rights abuses have been systematically committed by the Turkish-backed Syrian opposition’s National Army, including abductions, torture, extortion, and repeated assassinations, in the Kurdish-majority region, according to a report issued by the International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC).
ISIS flags
The armed groups’ militants hoisting the flag of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the city was the most prominent event recently, and observers interpreted this as the presence of ISIS elements within the groups.
Informed sources reported to North Press that elements of the Sultan Murad Brigade, the civil and military police, and members of the Ahrar Deir ez-Zor Brigade participated in raising the ISIS flag in the city of Sere Kaniye.
Video recordings were posted on social media from Sere Kaniye on the 25th of October showing members of the opposition groups raising the ISIS flag and singing jihadist songs, in addition to burning the French flag.
Other video recordings showed pro-opposition protestors roaming in the streets and raising banners and pictures of French President Emmanuel Macron and chanting slogans condemning “offending Prophet Muhammad.”
Arrests
A local source told North Press that on the 21st of October, the Military Police arrested the young Muhammad al-Eid, a resident of Umm al-Asafir village south of the city of Sere Kaniye, on charges of dealing with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
According to the same source, the military police took the young man to an unknown place, without any information about his fate so far.
The fate of 13 civilians, including a 16-year-old boy, is still unknown a year after they were arbitrarily arrested by the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups in Sere Kaniye and its countryside.
Meanwhile, activists have reported that the detainees are in Harran prison in the city of Urfa, Turkey, and are facing the same charge of dealing with the SDF.
The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) calls on the international community to start an independent investigation into the violations that took place in the cities of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad, and to secure the safe return of displaced people.
The SDC reiterated this demand in a statement issued on the first anniversary of the Turkish attack on the regions of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad.
The SDC accused Turkey of practicing a systematic policy of Turkification, changing the demography of the region, and settling the families of mercenary fighters in order to change the cultural, religious, and social features of the region.
Infighting
Clashes escalated between the Turkish-backed armed opposition groups in the city and its countryside during October.
On 24th of October, violent clashes erupted between armed groups in the villages of Rayhaniya and Faisaliah.
On the 27th of October, local sources from inside the city of Sere Kaniye told North Press that clashes with automatic weapons broke out between gunmen known as Abu Walid and others from the Abu Muri group.
The two disputing factions both belonged to the Sultan Murad group.
In related context, local sources said that the North Falcons group had recently built a security headquarters in the Zardasht neighborhood, southeast of the city, in one of the residential plots owned by one of the displaced residents of the Bazr family.