HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – Despite media silence and the absence of human rights reports, information from the areas of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad (Gire Spi), which are under the control of Turkish forces and the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, indicates the deterioration of the living situation and the continuation of violations against the residents and acts of violence and fighting between the factions.
On June 24, Turkish intelligence, accompanied by the military police of the armed opposition, launched a security campaign under the name “Fighting Outlaws.”
The military police tried to expel some factions’ families originating from Deir ez-Zor from the city [Sere Kaniye], but the latter refused to leave, which led to the outbreak of clashes between the two parties which killed and wounded at least five members of the military police, according to eyewitnesses.
Informed sources told North Press that during the campaign, gunmen robbed residents’ homes while claiming to search for wanted persons.
Activists stated that this campaign came after many armed factions refused to go to fight in Libya, Yemen, and other regions at Turkey’s request.
The city of Sere Kaniye has been witnessing the continuation of security chaos amid the armed groups’ militants’ fighting for influence over the region, in light of the deteriorating living and service conditions of the residents of the region.
Late in 2019, Turkey and Turkish-backed armed groups took over the regions of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad after an attack that caused the displacement of 300,000 native residents, which were later replaced by fighters from the Turkish-backed groups and their families and supporters, according to humanitarian reports.
Ongoing violations
On June 3, two children were injured in a landmine explosion in the Old al-Hal Market in the city center.
A day later, a local source said that a civilian named Maizer Aliwi al-Ahmed, from the village of Tel Diyab 13 km south of Sere Kaniye, lost his life after being shot by unknown gunmen.
The source indicated that al-Ahmed was cleaning gardens during the shooting.
On June 7, members of the Badr Martyrs’ Brigade, who control the western countryside of Sere Kaniye, abducted Mahmud Shuwakh al-Saloum from the village of al-Aziziyah in the western countryside of Sere Kaniye and asked for ten million Syrian pounds as a ransom for his release, a local source from the western countryside of Sere Kaniye said.
The fate of al-Saloum is still unknown, according to the source.
In late June, many bakery owners and professionals in Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad went on strike against escalating fuel prices. An informed source told North Press that the leaders of the Turkish-backed groups that seize the crossings in Tel Abyad and Sere Kaniye raised the price of a barrel of fuel from 230,000 Syrian pounds to 400,000 Syrian pounds.
This price hike came against the backdrop of the groups’ leaders imposing more than 100,000 SYP in customs duties on each barrel without prior warning.
Social networking sites witnessed an outcry as activists accused the leaders of Turkish-backed groups of corruption, nepotism, and theft.
Residents also accused the leaders of the Jaysh al-Sharqiya faction, most notably Abu Khattab al-Shami, the official in charge of one of the crossings in Tel Abyad, of monopolizing fuel and selling it in favor of his faction.
This comes at a time when the population lives in abject poverty due to the lack of job opportunities, widespread unemployment, and lack of the basic necessities.
Local residents of Sere Kaniye stressed that the scavenging of garbage is on the rise, while shop owners told North Press that the economic situation is going from bad to worse, and if the situation continues, they will close their shops due to weak purchasing power.
Ongoing infighting and clashes
On June 3, heavy clashes took place between the Badir Martyrs’ Brigade and al-Mawali groups in the countryside of Sere Kaniye when the former group tried to smuggle individuals to Turkey. They were stopped by al-Mawali, at which point the situation devolved into armed clashes.
The clashes killed and wounded a number of militants from both sides and injured a woman and a child.
Earlier the same day, an explosion was heard in Sere Kaniye near al-Diwan Square. One person was wounded and taken to the hospital.
Three days later, Hassan al-Assaf of al-Khatab Brigade faction, was found strangled to death in a headquarters of the faction in the Suluk region, west of Sere Kaniye, a private source told North Press.
On June 26, the Turkish army and opposition groups stationed in the villages of Arbaeen and Amiriya targeted the populated village of al-Gozaliya on the M4 Highway with mortar shells and DShK guns, a North Press reporter cited the Tel Tamr Military Council as reporting.
The shells fell on some residents’ houses and a school in the village, which led to material damage, the source added.
18 sheep belonging to a villager were killed due to the shelling as well.
On June 29, the Turkish army and the affiliated armed opposition groups targeted the village of Arisha on the M4 Highway west of Tel Tamr, with mortars and artillery shells, displacing residents and causing material damage to civilian property.