Syrian Interior Ministry Internal Security forces deployed in the streets of Hasakah on Tuesday morning to begin enforcing a decision banning the carrying and use of weapons inside the city and prohibiting gunfire for any reason, following several days of security tensions in the city.
The Hasakah Media Directorate announced through its official platforms that units of the area’s Internal Security Directorate had begun deploying in the city’s streets, implementing a decision banning the carrying and use of weapons, as well as gunfire regardless of its cause. The directorate said the deployment was part of efforts to enforce the decision, preserve security, public order and residents’ safety, and curb signs of disorder and incidents of terrorising residents.
Hasakah decision restricts possession of weapons to the state
The Hasakah Internal Security Directorate issued the decision on Monday, saying it was aimed at protecting residents’ lives and property and controlling the situation inside the city. In its statement, the directorate said that the possession and use of weapons were restricted to the state, represented by official security and military forces only while carrying out their official duties.
It said violators would face strict measures, including the confiscation of their weapons and the necessary legal action without leniency, and called on Hasakah residents to co-operate fully with the security forces and report any violation. The decision followed tensions in Hasakah linked to rioting carried out by armed men in the city, leading to a broad security mobilisation.
Patrols reinforced after indiscriminate gunfire
On 8 October, the Internal Security forces announced that they had reinforced the deployment of their units across Hasakah’s neighbourhoods and would continue patrols to maintain security and restore calm, after armed men whom they described as outlaws opened fire indiscriminately in the city. In a statement, the forces said the measures were part of efforts to counter security violations and attempts to stir unrest, protect residents and property, and ensure stability in Hasakah.
Local activists accused members affiliated with the Revolutionary Youth, which is active in areas formerly controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces, of instigating Thursday’s rioting. The activists linked the events to the popular movement in Hasakah calling for the return of the Syrian state’s presence to the province.
Hasakah witnessed large popular demonstrations over the past two Fridays, described as unprecedented, in which participants raised Syrian flags and called for the removal of party banners, the return of state institutions to the province and the restoration of security.
Large numbers of residents gathered in Freedom Square in the centre of the city last Friday under the slogan “Friday for Raising the Syrian Flag”, a day after an event attended by government officials at which the flag was raised in the same square.
