HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – In November 2021, insecurity prevailed in the two cities of Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tel Abyad, north and northeast Syria, as abductions, killings and armed clashes went on among armed opposition factions backed by Turkey.
Kidnapping of indigenous people to extort ransom also carried out by opposition factions.
The Turkish forces and Turkish-backed armed opposition factions invaded Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad in late 2019 displacing up to 300,000.
On November 3, local sources told North Press that gunmen kidnapped three women from Tel Abyad city. The women were waiting in a clinic in Suluk town at the time of the incident. Their fate is still unknown.
One of the women was identified as Sahar Muhammad al-Khallouf from al-Muradat tribe in Hamam al-Turkman town.
On November 28, the factions raided al-Sukkariya village in Tel Abyad and kidnapped two people: Hadi Ogla Ghneim from Jeis tribe and Youssef al-Fares. Both were transferred to the Turkish intelligence branch in Tel Abyad and they are still unaccounted for.
On November 24, the residents of Tel Abyad protested at al-Alam Roundabout demanding the release of detainees in custodies run by opposition factions.
Infighting
On November 3, clashes between Ahrar al-Sharqiya and Sultan Murad erupted in Suluk town causing panic amongst the civilians as both factions used weapons and artillery shelling in the fighting.
Ahrar al-Sharqiya accused fighters of Sultan Murad of being agents of the US-led Coalition Forces, local sources said.
On November 8, three members of the Military Police were wounded to varying extent in severity in the village of Tel Fandar due to an ambush set up by al-Majd faction.
On November 11, skirmishes erupted among Ahrar al-Sharqiya, al-Khattab Brigade and Abu Jihad Qadisya in which Ahrar al-Sharqiya seized the grain silos in Hamam al-Turkman southeast of Tel Abyad and injured seven members from each opponent faction.
Moreover, al-Khattab Brigade assaulted the Suluk-based hospital when it refused admitting the injured members, eyewitnesses said.
Murder
On November 23, a member in al-Hamzat faction was found killed in his home which he seized after the invasion of Sere Kaniye.
Al-Khattab Brigade fighters shot the civilian Nabil Shehadeh in the village of Sherkirak in Tel Abyad causing serious injuries to the civilian who was dispatched to a hospital in Turkey, sources from al-Ali Bajaliya town reported.
On November 28, Abdulkarim al-Hassan, nicknamed Abu Hassan al-Deiri, leader of Shuhada’ Badr faction was killed when an armed group raided his place of residence in Mokhtalla village west of Sere Kaniye. Three of his bodyguards were wounded in the attack.
Al-Deiri was killed over disputes on smuggling profits with another leader in the same faction.
Again on November 28, three members of the opposition factions died when an IED detonated near al-Rez village in Tel Abyad.
Looting properties
In early November, dozens of Sere Kaniye people took to the streets condemning the worsening livelihood conditions and unemployment.
The Military Police used violence and force against the protesters who moved to the crossing point on the Syrian-Turkish border chanting against the local council.
In May, similar protests took place and were also smashed by force.
The Turkish forces and the affiliated Syrian opposition factions started seizing and looting properties of displaced people as soon as they invaded the two cities alleging the residents were loyal to Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
On November 20, an armed group dismantled a power generator in the Manajir bakery in the countryside of Sere Kaniye and looted the copper the generator contained.
On November 29, the local council established by Turkey released a statement announcing the selling of aluminum in an auction.
Officials of the local council under the auspices of military factions loot copper, aluminum and iron from public properties and sell them to merchants in public.
Provocations and violations
Turkey threatened to launch a new military action against northeast Syria for almost a month but pulled back its threats as Russia and the US refused them, Turkish diplomatic sources reported to The New Arab.
However, violations repeatedly took place in the contact lines in Tel Tamr and Ain Isa by Turkish forces and their allied armed opposition actions.
On November 20, the SDF released a statement announcing that “Turkey and its mercenaries keep on committing provocative movements in the villages of Sere Kaniye and Tel Abyad using heavy weapons and drones.”
“The region was targeted with up to 13 times with heavy shelling for three days in a row,” the SDF said.
Aram Hanna, the SDF official spokesperson stated to North Press that Turkish forces intensified military actions and violations in different fronts in northeast Syria targeting the populated villages and the infrastructure.
“The SDF is communicating with state actors concerning the Turkish violations. Our efforts are focused to stop the assaults as their outcome will be negative,” Hanna added.