NORTH & EAST SYRIA: Statement by Internal Security Forces regarding clashes with regime forces in Zalin (Qamishli)

ZALIN ܒܝܬ ܙܠܝ̈ܢ (QAMISHLI), Syria‎ — Syrian regime forces this Saturday opened fire on a convoy of security officials (Asayish) in Zalin (Qamishli). It is not yet clear what sparked the incident at the Saba Bahrat roundabout in the center of Zalin but resulted in the death of an internal security member and injuring of another. In this rare incident, the Russian military police stepped in to intervene and de-escalate the tense situation. The Media Office of the Internal Security Forces (ISF) in North and East Syria issued a statement regarding the clash with the Syrian regime.

The statement said that on Saturday 4 April 2020, members of the Syrian regime attacked a military car which was carrying several members of the ISF in the city of Zalin (Qamishli). The military car was accompanying two vehicles, one of which belonged to the Qamishli municipality and carried several cleaning workers, and the other belonged to the medical and health authority for emergency coronavirus cases. The attack resulted in the injuring of an ISF member, who was subsequently transferred to a hospital, and the martyrdom of another.

In the statement, the ISF condemned the attack by the regime forces and stressed that such attacks would not discourage its determination to maintain security and stability in the regions of North and East Syria, holding the Syrian regime forces accountable for this criminal act.