Kurdish opposition party office attacked in Hasaka

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region- The main Kurdish opposition group in northeast Syria (Rojava) said on Tuesday that one of its offices in Hasaka province was attacked by a “masked group.” Previous attacks were blamed on the ruling party. 

The Kurdish National Council (ENKS) said in a statement on Tuesday that the office of the The Kurdistan Democratic Party - Syria (PDK-S) in Girke Lege (al-Muabbada) subdistrict in Hasaka province was attacked with Molotov cocktails which burned the flag of Kurdistan and the emblem of the party. 

PDK-S is the backbone of the ENKS which consists of a group of opposition parties. 
 
“It also created a state of panic among the neighbouring families and their children,” added the umbrella group. 

The group did not blame any party but said in a separate statement that the attackers were driving motorcycles and wearing military uniforms.  It condemned the attack, demanding a stop to “these blatant intimidating practices.”

The offices of the ENKS and its member parties have come under attack dozens of times by groups they claim are affiliated to Rojava’s ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) which has denied the accusations. 

No one has been arrested over the attacks due to alleged impunity. 

PYD is the political wing of the armed People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the backbone of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

PDK-S is the oldest Kurdish-Syrian party, founded in 1957.

The ENKS and the PYD have been at odds for several years, with the ENKS accusing the PYD of being unwilling to share power and detaining their members. Despite several meetings between both parties, the talks unofficially ended without a fruitful result despite American supervision. 

ENKS has also accused the ruling party of cracking down on their members and closing their offices, and restricting their political freedom. The PYD claims that the ENKS, which is a member of the Turkey-backed Syrian opposition coalition, serves Ankara’s agenda.