Arab tribes meet government official to settle tension in Syria’s Hasakah
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – A delegation of Arab tribes notables entered on Wednesday the government-held area in the city of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, to make sure of the expulsion of the National Defense Forces (NDF) leader following tension in the city.
The delegation consisted of notables from the Jubur and other Arab tribe leaders.
Akram Mahshoush, a notable from Jubur tribe, said the government forces asked for a delegation from the tribes to enter Hasakah Governorate building to make sure the NDF leader, Abdulqader Hamo, was expelled following his assault on a notable from the Jubur tribe days ago.
Mahshoush told North Press that the Hasakah governor guaranteed the removal of Hamo from his position. However, the tribe leaders insisted that the governor make an official announcement of Hamo’s removal or transfer to another location.
Earlier on Wednesday, al-Baggara tribe in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria, sent reinforcements to the Jubur tribe in Hasakah to support them against the government forces’ NDF.
Muhammad Hamid al-Bashir, al-Baggara tribe leader, told North Press, “We will fight with our brothers from Jubur tribe if necessary. We will face the same fate as the Jubur tribe. Any assault on any tribe notable is an assault on all of us.”
On August 13, the NDF commander in Hasakah, Abdul Qader Hamo, physically assaulted Sheikh Abdul Aziz Muhammad al-Meslet, a leader in the tribe, and his nephew, enraging the tribe’s members who later took to the streets in Hasakah and attacked NDF headquarters demanding the government hand over Hamo.
Al-Meslet told North Press on Tuesday that they “have given the Syrian government a deadline until tomorrow morning to address the matter of the National Defense Forces and expel them entirely from Hasakah.”