Clamping down on regime | Asayish controls government buildings in Al-Qamishli following regime forces’ withdrawal

As regime forces continue to besiege areas controlled by Kurdish forces in “Al-Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh” neighbourhoods in Aleppo city, Asayish continues to clamp down on regime forces in Al-Qamishli city, exerting pressure on regime forces to lift the siege.

SOHR sources reported that Asayish has taken control of large parts of government Serail, which hosts several regime state institutions, such as the Educational Complex, the Peasant Union, and other institutions, near the Security Square area in Al-Qamishli city in the early hours of Thursday morning.

This development comes after the withdrawal of regime forces to the security square without any clashes.

It is worth noting that Asayish has not entered the governmental institutions they captured yet.

Yesterday, SOHR activists reported that Internal Security Forces, “Asayish,” had tightened the screws on regime forces in Al-Qamishli city in Al-Hasakah province, which is controlled by regime forces, where Asayish forces advanced in new areas and taken control of areas stretching from Al-Raes street, Al-Siyasiyah Street, and reached Al-Sabaa Bahrat area. Al-Siyasiyah street was closed for the first time. However, regime forces did not lift a finger.

Syrian Observatory sources had also reported a new meeting was scheduled to be held that day under Russian auspices to find solutions to the situation in Al-Qamishli and to break the siege by regime forces on Al-Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood of Aleppo city.

On April 12, SOHR sources reported growing tension between the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and regime forces in Al-Qamishli city in Al-Hasakah countryside. Asayish forces blocked all roads to the security zone and airport in the city with cement blocks, besieging regime forces.

On Sunday, April 10, SOHR activists reported that the Russian forces communicated with the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) to calm the situation down following the latest events in Al-Qamishly city in Al-Hasakah and Al-Shaikh Maqsod neighbourhood in Aleppo.

In the same context, the Internal Security Forces blocked the roads leading to the centre of Al-Qamishly city, and prevented the entry of food supplies and flour into the security zone where regime forces are stationed in the city.

These developments came after the closure of “Al-Ba’ath bakery” which supplied the neighbourhoods of Al-Qamishli city and countryside, providing nearly 30 tons of bread to civilians daily after the control of the Internal Security Forces over the bakery on April 9, as a part of pressure on regime forces, which continue repressing civilians and siege Al-Shaikh Maqsod neighbourhood in Aleppo, to force them to lift the siege on the neighbourhood and allow the entrance of food supplies.

According to reliable SOHR sources, the residents obtained bread from the bakery of Hamo village in the south-eastern suburbs of Al-Qamishly city, which is controlled by regime forces.

A day earlier, SOHR activists monitored security tension in Al-Qamishly city, where “Asayish Forces” blocked the highway to the airport and expelled workers of the regime-backed Al-Ba’ath automated bakery in Al-Qamishly after sieging it since yesterday. These events took place in light of the regime forces inaction to lift the siege imposed on Al-Shaikh Maqsoud neighbourhood in Aleppo.

According to reliable SOHR sources, the bakery’s manager announced that armed groups broke in the bakery.

Earlier Saturday, SOHR activists reported that as Fourth Division checkpoints imposed a tightening and suffocating blockade on Al-Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafieh neighbourhoods which are controlled by Asayish Internal Security Forces in Aleppo city, SOHR activists monitored a demonstration near Yassin hospital in Al-Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, demanding lifting the sieges on Al-Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafieh neighbourhoods and denouncing starvation war strategy by the Syrian regime that aim to bow the people to its policy.

According to Syrian Observatory sources, people in Al-Sheikh Maqsoud and Al-Ashrafieh neighbourhoods suffer from dire humanitarian conditions due to the lack and the sky-high price of many varieties of foodstuffs, as well as the soaring price of a high-quality bread loaf, which went up from 1,500 to 4,000 SL after imposing the blockade and the restriction by Fourth Division checkpoints.

On Friday, SOHR activists reported that members of Internal Security Forces Asayesh” besieged a bakery in Al-Qamishly “Al-Ba’ath Bakery” of the regime, as a response to the violations committed by regime forces against Al-Shaikh Maqsod residents in Aleppo, where the regime forces prevented the entry of essential daily supplies to the neighbourhood including flour and fuel, as a part of imposing the siege around the neighbourhood which is mostly inhabited by Kurdish people.