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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Ceasefire reached between Kurds and Assad regime |
| 2016-04-23 |
| [ARA News ] QAMISHLO – A ceasefire was reached on Friday between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces after three days of heavy fighting in the northeastern city of Qamishlo (Qamishli), the Kurdish security police officially announced. The General Command of the Kurdish Security Police –also known as Asayish in Kurdish– announced on Friday that the Syrian government and the Kurdish forces have reached an agreement on the request of Arab tribal leaders for a ceasefire. The Kurdish security police said in a public statement that at least 31 regime fighters were killed and 102 captured. Moreover, in total 13 fighters on the Kurdish side were killed in the fight with the Syrian government. The Kurdish leadership added that the Islamic State (ISIS) carried out suicide attacks in the al-Wusta neighborhood in Qamishlo. The casualty numbers could not be confirmed from the regime side. “For nearly four years Qamishlo enjoyed relative calmness and peace, and they [pro-regime forces] wanted to destroy this, while people were living peacefully in the city of Qamislo,” said Moaz Abdulkarim (34), the co-president of the city council of Qamishli, who was carrying a gun. “They fired randomly with heavy weapons, and the civilians suffered from this, and paid the bill” he told ARA News. “Their [government] plan did not succeed,” Abdulkarim added. Speaking to ARA News in Qamishlo, YPG fighter Ciwan (33) said that on Frida morning there was already a ceasefire. “There is a ceasefire until now, and no fighting. They have snipers ready to shoot, but the market is empty of civilians,” he added. Close to the Allaya regime prison that was captured by Kurdish forces on Thursday, the sound of gunfire could still be heard, especially in Arab villages near Qamislo city. “There is still gunfire coming from Khirbat Amo [Arab village],” said Heval Redur, the leading Asayish officer for the captured regime prison. “It’s in the hand of civilian Arabs, but the regime entered the area, and told them to evacuate the area,” he told ARA News. “But we have kicked them out from this area [prison] and pushed them forward from Allaya,” he added. “I don’t know if the fighting will continue, but I want it to end soon. I have a child who is sick,” said Majid Mahmoud (40), a civilian who was trying to bring his family to safety in a village close to the city. “I am not going to the border, I am going to a nearby village. Once the war ends, I will return home with my family,” he added. Analysts previously told ARA News the ceasefire would be expected. “PYD [Kurdish part] told me they believe the regime had begun to push its weight around, and were not respecting the informal arrangements which exist in the city,” Michael Stephens, head of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in Qatar told ARA News. “As a result the YPG and Asayish were told to push back and force the regime to understand it had no ability to escalate and that it should not use its strengthened position to try and get advantage in Kurdish controlled area,” he added. “My view is that both sides will want to calm this down quickly, it would be extremely difficult for the regime to open a new front in Qamishlo against the Kurds,” he suggested “At the same time, for PYD there would be a lot to lose; the airport would shut down and they would lose their last link to the outside world. They are under a lot of pressure from KRG [government of Iraqi Kurdistan], and resources are tighter than normal. I expect there will be some sort of deal fairly quickly, with prisoner swaps,” Stephens added. So far, it is not clear if the two sides will also withdraw from certain areas, after the Kurds took the regime-prison in Allaya, positions in the al-Wusta neighbourhood and the regime bakery. Video report at the link |
| Posted by:badanov |