Raqqa’s civil council condemned the “assassination” and called for the people of the city to be united against such violations.
“We received the news of the assassination of Sheikh Bashir Faysal al-Huwaidi with grievance and sorrow. He was one of the figures and symbols of al-Afadilah tribe and one of the prominent members of Raqqa Civil Council. He was a distinguished national figure and played a positive and active role in the life and running of Raqqa Civil Council,” read a statement from Raqqa Civil Council (RCC) on Friday.
RCC is affiliated with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and consists of prominent figures from the city, mostly Arabs.
Huwaidi was killed near the children’s hospital in Raqqa. He was in his car when he was shot twice in the twice, according to local ANHA news.
The Council stated that it “condemns this heinous crime that has nothing to do with humanity.”
The co-existence of Kurds, Arabs, Assyrians, Turkmens and Circassians will not be subjected to “traps,” the council added, claiming that there are plots to create chaos in the city.
Raqqa celebrated its first year of freedom from ISIS last month. The city was liberated by the Kurdish-led SDF, but with tremendous human and material cost. Much of the city is in ruins and residents are struggling to rebuild with little resources.
The RCC was set up to administer the city. It is modeled on similar councils established throughout the self-autonomous region of northern Syria where the regime has not had a presence since the early days of the civil conflict.
Omar Alloush, a senior Kurdish official instrumental in establishing Kurdish-Arab ties in Raqqa was killed in March this year.
