Tensions rise in Qamishli as Kurdish militias surround government forces

Tensions are high in the Al-Qamishli District today, as the Kurdish “Assayish” forces surround the National Defense Forces (NDF) at the Al-Qamishli security box.

Reports from the Al-Qamishli District claim that the Assayish forces have arrested several NDF fighters in what is expected to be their expulsion from northern Syria.

Government sources have not confirmed these reports; however, several local activists have corroborated these claims.

Earlier today, the Kurdish political wing in Syria began preparations to announce their intentions to install a federalist system in northern Syria, despite the refusal of the Syrian government and opposition.

The Al-Qamishli District is ethnically diverse, with Kurds, Assyrians, Armenians, and Arabs all living in this densely populated region.

The Assayish Forces will have their hands full if they attempt to seize all of the government-controlled area because the Assyrian “Gozarto Protection Forces” (GPF) are heavily armed and make-up one of the largest militias in the Al-Hasakah Governorate.