Syrian regime forces fire on Kurdish convoy in Qamishli, killing 1

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Syrian regime forces opened fire on a convoy of Kurdish security officials (Asayesh) in Qamishli on Saturday, killing one and wounding another. It is not yet clear what sparked the incident. 

According to Rudaw’s Rangin Sharo at the scene, the incident took place on the Saba Bahrat roundabout in downtown Qamishli. 

Tension still hung over the area hours after the shooting, according to Hawar News Agency (ANHA), a media outlet close to the Kurdish authorities in northern Syria.

The Asayesh officer who was killed has been named by security sources as Mohammed Sabi and the wounded official as Wael Jwan Salih.

Russian military police quickly moved into the area to deescalate the situation.

Rudaw footage from the scene shows three Russian military police vehicles and Syrian regime personnel deployed around the road junction. 

Few civilians appear to be on the streets since authorities imposed coronavirus containment measures.

The Kurdish-backed Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political wing of the armed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has not yet released a statement on the incident. 

Although Syria’s Kurds have maintained an uneasy truce with regime forces throughout the decade-old civil war, the two sides have rarely clashed in Qamishli, where both sides maintain a presence. 

Since US forces withdrew and Turkish troops attacked the autonomous Kurdish administration last October, the regime and its Russian backers have played a bigger role in the area’s security.  

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has the military backing of Russia and Iran, has vowed to retake every inch of Syrian territory.