Rojava security forces arrest tribal leader for ‘targeting’ Kurdish symbols

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish internal security forces (Asayish) in northeast Syria (Rojava) said early Sunday they arrested an Arab tribal leader who fired at a Kurdish party’s flag in Qamishli, adding that the arrest was carried out in "close coordination" with Damascus authorities.

“Our forces have managed to arrest the so-called ‘Hussein al-Hassou’, following his involvement in acts of aggression targeting Kurdish symbols in the city of Qamishli,” the Asayish said in a statement.

Hassou, reportedly a tribal leader based in southern Qamishli, was seen in a video circulating on social media firing bullets at the flag of Rojava’s Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), a left-wing umbrella organization for Kurdish parties, including the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The Asayish said Hasso was arrested in “close coordination” with the security apparatus of the Syrian interim government, adding that “initial investigations and available data indicate that the main motive behind these acts of sabotage is a desperate attempt to destabilize the region, sow discord, and create confusion among the components of the region.”

The statement added that investigations into Hasso will continue to “uncover all the circumstances of the case, in preparation for bringing him to justice to receive his fair punishment in accordance with established procedures and applicable laws.”

The Asayish is affiliated with Rojava’s de facto army, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which is undergoing an integration process into the security apparatus of Syria’s interim authorities in Damascus following a landmark agreement in March 2025 between SDF chief Mazloum Abdi and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

After a stalled process, a coalition of Damascus-affiliated forces launched a major military operation in mid-January against areas held by the SDF, eventually retaking eastern Aleppo, Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, and parts of Hasaka province.

Some Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa provinces defected from the SDF to support advancing Damascus forces, allowing government troops to seize major cities with reduced resistance. Kurdish forces at the time said Damascus-aligned forces advanced under the cover of “Arab tribes.”

The SDF and Damascus reached an agreement in late January, enabling a phased exchange of prisoners and accelerating the integration of Kurdish military and civil institutions into the Syrian state.

Under the deal, three SDF brigades are to be formed, and Rojava’s Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) will be integrated into state institutions.

Before the interim Syrian government joined the US-led Coalition to Defeat ISIS in November, the SDF was Washington’s main on-the-ground partner against the Islamic State.

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