Prisoners protest in Syria's Kobani after Kurdish soldier's murder test al-Sharaa's - analysis

Eight prisoners were killed, and 17 others were wounded during clashes between locals and security forces in the city of Kobani in northern Syria on Friday.

North Press, a Syrian news agency, noted that “according to information obtained by North Press, the tensions came after a popular protest in Kobani demanding an investigation into the kidnapping and killing of a member of the Syrian Ministry of Defense, Sami Hassou, which took place in Hasakah Governorate.”

This is the latest in Syria's tensions, while it also reveals the concerns many Kurds have about how the new government resolves crises. Kurds have sought to integrate into the new security forces as part of a January deal that ended clashes between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the government. The SDF commander Mazloum Abdi has moved to dissolve the SDF over the last month. Tensions remain, and local tensions between various groups, such as Bedouin tribes and Kurds, have a tendency to spill over.

Sipan Hizni, also known as Sami Sheikhmous Hiso, was a member of the Syrian Democratic Forces and had integrated into the Syrian security forces, according to an account of his life published at Rudaw. His sister discussed how he was murdered. He was killed near Hasaka in a brutal killing that has angered people. On Friday, Rudaw noted that “authorities said the main suspect had been identified but had yet to be arrested.” 

He was kidnapped and murdered. His family said he was beheaded. “He left home at 2 [pm]. He returned, and I asked him to have lunch. He ate and left but never came back,” his sister, Faner Haso, told Rudaw’s Viviyan Fetah on Friday. “My elder daughter said she had seen a video of her uncle [Sipan] and said that he had fallen [been killed], but I did not believe her. Later I realized that all neighbors had heard about it [his death],” his sister said.

The accused is a member of a local tribe called the Baqara or Al-Baggara. The tribe has many members in the Euphrates River valley, as well as in other parts of the Middle East, such as Iraq and Jordan. It’s plausible the tribe and Hizni had a feud over something that happened years ago.

These tribes in the valley have had to deal with the SDF over the years after ISIS was defeated in 2019. The tribes often had mixed experiences with the SDF, with some working with them and others chafing under their rule. Some tribes also fought ISIS and were massacred, and some worked with ISIS. Some worked with the Assad regime.

No simple story for Syria's tribes

There is no simple story of the tribes; they tend to work with other tribes. For instance, Wladimir van Wilgenburg, journalist, author and expert on the SDF and Syria and Iraq, noted that there is a new video of an “armed group from the Al-Aqaidat tribe have expressed solidarity with the Al-Baggara tribe and said they are prepared to provide equipment, weapons and manpower in support of the tribe amid tensions between Kurds and Arabs after the beheading of a former SDF fighter (Syrian soldier) Sipan by Baggara tribal members, who claimed it was revenge for an incident 2 years ago.”

Rudaw reported, “His sister said she did not know why her brother was killed.” He was buried in Hasaka. Sipan Hamo, a former SDF commander and a deputy to the Syrian defense minister for eastern areas in Syria, condemned the killing.

“The competent authorities have taken the initiative to apprehend a number of those involved, and they continue their efforts until all the criminals are arrested, to stand before the judiciary and receive a fair trial commensurate with the brutality of the crime committed, in accordance with the law,” he wrote.

After the murder, people protested in Hasaka. This led members of the tribes to gather with weapons. “I call upon the sons and daughters of our people to exercise patience, self-control, and to avoid being drawn into attempts to incite strife,” Hamo said in his statement, according to Rudaw.

In the wake of the first protests on Thursday and Friday, they spread to Kobane in northern Syria. Overnight, it was reported that three had been killed and many injured in the prison fire.

“A large protest was held in Kobane, in Aleppo province, late Friday over the killing of Sipan Hizni, a member of a Syrian army brigade comprising fighters from the now-dissolved Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” Rudaw added.  “A fire later broke out at the prison as security forces were preparing to transfer the detainees to Aleppo city, the sources said.”

A third report at Rudaw noted that “an eyewitness said tensions inside the prison escalated after detainees, including people arrested earlier in the day, learned that they would be transferred to facilities in areas of Aleppo city under full government control. Some prisoners then set their cell on fire in protest, the witness said.” North Press confirmed this in a similar account of what happened.

Farhad Shami, who was the SDF’s spokesperson until the SDF was dissolved, wrote about the tragedy. “Following the assassination of the Kurdish young man Sipan Hazni in the Hasakah countryside by an armed group, in a crime that bore the hallmarks of an ISIS-style attack, the Kurdish people in different areas took to the streets to demand the arrest and prosecution of those responsible. Kobani was at the forefront of these protests,” he noted.

He says that the security forces sent by Damascus have insulted Kurds and used racist chants. “They also arrested a number of young men who had taken part in the protests. Such conduct has nothing to do with the role of security forces, whose duty is to protect citizens and safeguard their right to peaceful protest.”

The detainees were subjected to abuse in prison, and the “detainees protested and set fire to their blankets, while the prison administration failed to intervene in time to prevent the tragedy.” Nine people were killed in the fire. “This is a grave tragedy for which Damascus bears responsibility and which demands an independent and transparent investigation, as well as accountability for everyone who caused it or failed to prevent it,” he noted.

Serious test for Damascus

The murder of the Kurdish soldier and the subsequent protests and deaths in Kobane are a serious test for Damascus and for the integration of the SDF into the Syrian security forces. Revenge and murder for incidents from years ago are a serious problem in Syria. Many people are taking out grudges for what happened during the 13-year civil war.

Former members of the regime, for instance, or those accused of being linked to the regime, have been killed. This has included members of the Alawite minority. Ethnic and religious tensions are an issue. For instance, the Druze area of Suwayda remains under Druze control and is not reconciled with Damascus. The Bedouin tribes, and also former members of various Syrian rebel groups, have been accused of abuses as well.

There is no simple story in Syria, just like there was no simple story during the years of civil war and revolution. However, what is clear is that in many cases Damascus has not been able to contain violence or unrest; instead, it often gets worse before de-escalation occurs.

Many Kurds are wary of the new security forces, and they worry that a strong hand will be used against Kurds, rather than against armed Bedouin tribal members, for instance. Damascus will be wary of the tribes, not wanting them to cause chaos in the Euphrates River valley.

In the past, the tribes in that area often felt closer to Iraq than Syria. They served as a conduit for insurgents entering Iraq after 2003; later, ISIS used the same valley, and then Iranian-backed militias came up the Euphrates valley. Damascus is very wary of a security breakdown between Deir Ezzor and Al Bukamal on the Iraqi border. Kurdish cities, such as Kobani, by contrast, have been well run by the SDF over the years. They are used to having a system in charge, not chaos.