PKK/YPG detains dozens of tribespeople aligned with Damascus government in Syria's Al-Hasakah province

The terrorist organization YPG, the Syrian wing of the PKK, detained dozens of members of Arab tribes aligned with the Damascus government in overnight raids in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah province, accusing them of links to ISIS (Daesh).

According to local sources, PKK/YPG militants launched simultaneous raids late Saturday on the Guweiran, Aziziye, Nashwa, Hashman, and Zuhur neighborhoods in Al-Hasakah during the night.

During the raids, the militants abducted more than 50 Arab tribespeople, including women, accusing them of being affiliated with Daesh, and also looted homes and assaulted residents.

- Condemnation from Hasakah activists

Hasakah-based academics, activists, and media representatives issued a statement condemning the abductions of Arab tribespeople by the PKK/YPG.

The statement called for the immediate release of those detained. It described the incidents as a clear “human rights violation,” warning that the practices of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the PKK/YPG’s Syrian branch, pose a serious threat to social peace.

The statement urged the Syrian government to fulfill its responsibility to protect civilians and warned that if such pressures continue, a new wave of social tensions in the region will be inevitable.

On March 10, the Syrian presidency announced an agreement to integrate the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into state institutions, stressing the country’s territorial integrity and rejecting any separatist agenda.

The SDF, largely controlled by the YPG, the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, was highlighted in the statement.

Since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad last year after 24 years in power, the Syrian government has stepped up security measures. Assad fled to Russia in December, marking the end of the Ba'ath Party’s rule since 1963. A transitional administration, headed by President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, took office in January.