SYRIA: Family quarrels in Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor leave 4 dead and several wounded

HASKAH and DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria — Three people lost their lives and three others were left injured, including a woman, in a quarrel between two close families on Tuesday that escalated into an exchange of small arms fire in the western Nashwa neighborhood of Hasakah in North and East Syria.

The injured were treated at Al-Hikma Hospital in downtown Hasakah while Internal Security Forces deployed in the area around the hospital and in other neighborhoods of the city fearing continued fighting between the families.

On Monday, an unrelated family dispute also took place in Deir ez-Zor near the town of Hajin in the eastern countryside. A civilian named Ali Mohammed al-Hammad lost his life in the violent clash between two families.

According to a local source from the region, the dispute in Deir ez-Zor was between families belonging to the Al-Akidat clan over financial debts.

The family disputes come at a time of increased tension in Deir ez-Zor after the targeting of several tribal leaders by unknown assailants. The Internal Security Forces have reportedly launched an investigation to find who is behind the ongoing assassination campaign.