ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) on Saturday called on all residents of Hasakah to stand against the forces of the Syrian regime, following air and artillery attacks over the weekend by the Syrian military.
The YPG said in a statement that Hasakah residents should back the Kurdish forces – including its YPJ women’s units and Asayish security services -- that control the city.
“We in the YPG call upon our people, the Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians and Armenians, to support their legitimate units of the YPG/YPJ, Asayish and Social Protection Forces – to stand united against the terror of the regime and safeguard the region,” the YPG said in a statement.
It explained that over the weekend, “Regime forces targeted residential neighborhoods, sites of our forces, including camps that did not have any combat function, as well as striking regulatory offices and civil courts.”
The statement said that 11 civilian targets were attacked on Thursday, the first day of the two-day attack. It said “civilian areas were indiscriminately struck by regime forces deploying warplanes and heavy artillery – wounding dozens of civilians and destroying their houses over their heads.”
Referring to Hasakah, it vowed to “secure it from the terror of the Syrian regime,” just it had secured other areas from militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) group.
The YPG explained that it had so far avoided any severe response to the regime’s actions in order to secure civilian lives in the city. But it warned that the regime’s actions have reached a degree “that could no longer be tolerated.”
On Thursday, the Syrian government responded to clashes in Hasakah between its National Defense Forces (NDF) and Kurdish security forces by attacking the city with aerial bombardment and artillery.
The attacks killed and wounded several people and displaced many more.
At least 15 civilians and fighters of the YPG were killed in military confrontations which resumed on Friday between the YPG and the regime forces.
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