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Cautious Calm — Heavy Security Deployment by Internal Security Forces "Asayish" in Kobani
A security deployment by the internal security forces "Asayish" has been carried out in the city of Kobani to reinforce stability and maintain security, following popular anger and protests that took place in the city last evening. The measures aim to contain the situation and prevent any escalation.
The Syrian Observatory reported that the Asayish arrested five Kurdish young men in Kobani on Tuesday morning in connection with yesterday’s protests, which were held in response to attacks on a number of Kurdish returnees to Ras al-Ain (Sari Kaniye) as part of the first return convoys.
The arrests were accompanied by a heavy Asayish presence at the city entrances and in Arin Square (Free Woman) in central Kobani, with strengthened positions at other key points—steps intended to restore order and prevent renewed tensions.
Activists with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five Asayish personnel were wounded to varying degrees while trying to contain the protests on Monday evening. Since this morning Kobani has seen a cautious calm after a tense night and security mobilization, amid popular demands to ensure the protection of returnees and to secure their safe, voluntary and dignified return to their original areas.
The first convoys of returnees reached Ras al-Ain on Monday after years of displacement, but attacks on some returnees sparked widespread anger in predominantly Kurdish areas and prompted protests calling for accountability and guarantees for returnees’ safety. The Observatory also recorded that the Asayish imposed a temporary curfew in Kobani on Monday evening, concurrent with security mobilization, the deployment of forces from the interior and defense ministries in parts of eastern Aleppo countryside, and the closure of several roads leading to the city.
