Aras

Pro-Assad militants storm houses of Kurdish activists in Hasakah

14-10-2013

ARA News

Hasakah, Syria − Houses of Kurdish political activists in Hasakah city, north of Syria, were raided by pro-Assad militants over the last week.

On Wednesday evening, the house of activist Sheikhou Asaad, member of the Kurdish National Council (KNC), was raided by militants loyal to the Assad regime.

Sheikhou's house is located in the Kallasa neighborhood in the city of Hasakah. He told ARA News that  members of the security forces (working under the umbrella of the Assad linked National Army) broke into his house and intimidated his family.

"Around 11:30 pm, a patrol of security forces linked to the National Army raided my house in my absence claiming that a gunman had entered the house, and then asked my wife about the identity of the house owner and place of the armed man who supposedly entered the house," Sheikhou said. 

"They fully searched every single corner in the house and confiscated some personal property and documents," said Sheikhou, who escaped after he noticed the patrol movement around his house, adding that the patrol consisted of four cars with gunmen.

Saad Karmi, another activists in Hasakah whose brother, Masood Karmi, is the founder of a Kurdish armed group so-called "the Kurdish Intervention Forces".

According to eyewitnesses, a number of pro-Assad National Army stormed the house of Saad in Hasakah city, intimidated his family and confiscated some personal belongings of the activist.  

The National Army was recently formed by Arab tribal groups −basically from clans of al-Maamerah, al-Jihesh and al-Tay− to back the Assad security forces in Syria's north-eastern area. Most of their activities take place in Hasakah city, where they took entire neighbourhoods as strongholds to prevent any opposition activities in the city.

According to activists, these clans show an actual support to the Assad regime and they call themselves "al-Assad Fighters."

Report by: Bishwa Muhammad

Source: ARA News