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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Mazloum Abdi, former chief of the now-dissolved Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and newly appointed advisor to the Syrian presidency, on Monday mourned the killing of nine people in a fire that broke out at a prison in the Kurdish-majority city of Kobane in northern Syria, noting that a "comprehensive and transparent" investigation into the incident has been launched.
“It is with profound sorrow and grief that I mourn the nine martyrs of Kobane who lost their lives during the incident at the city's prison,” Abdi wrote on X, extending his “deepest condolences and sympathy to their families and the entire population of Kobane, wishing a speedy recovery to the injured.”
He added that “the competent authorities have initiated a comprehensive and transparent investigation to uncover the circumstances of the incident and hold those at fault accountable, with the results to be announced with full clarity and transparency.”
Abdi further stressed that “preventing the recurrence of such incidents requires activating the role of judicial and security institutions and enhancing coordination between them, to ensure the rule of law, protect the rights of civilians and prisoners, and safeguard the security and stability of Kobane.”
The statement came a day after Kobane observed a general day of mourning on Sunday, with most shops shuttered as grief and anger gripped the city in the wake of days of protests and a deadly prison fire.
The unrest was sparked by the killing of Sipan Hizni, a Kurdish member of a Syrian army brigade, near the Kurdish-majority Hasaka province in northeast Syria (Rojava), and the subsequent detention of several demonstrators.
Tensions escalated after the detainees were transferred to Kobane's main prison and learned they would be moved to government-controlled areas in Aleppo. A fire broke out inside the facility as detainees resisted the planned transfer, killing at least nine people and injuring 17 others.
“According to inquiries we made with other hospitals, nine people have died and others were injured. The condition of some of the wounded is critical and serious - some are on ventilators, and others have been transferred to Aleppo," said Haval Ahmed, a doctor at the German Hospital in Kobane, speaking to Rudaw's Shivan Mesi.
The killing of Hizni and the prison fire come amid a broader security transition in Rojava following the dissolution of the SDF in August and the reorganization of its personnel into brigades affiliated with the Syrian military.
A political agreement has granted Kurdish representatives advisory and parliamentary roles under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, but tensions between Kurdish communities, state security forces, and Arab tribal groups remain a persistent challenge to stability across the enclave.
