(Zaman Al Wasl)- No celebrations reported by the sixth anniversary of the Syrian revolution in eastern Syria since the oil-and-ethnic rich region has been turned into a battering battleground between regime forces, Kurdish militias and ISIS and turned into
The Revolution's flag was last risen in Eastern region in 2014, in Gwiran neighborhood, due to controlling the area by the Islamic State, according to the a fighter from the neighborhood.
The fighter explained that the Syrian regime’s forces and the Kurdish militias had besieged the neighborhood of Qwiran which used to be the center for demonstrations against the regime, added to 150-200 fighter of the neighborhood residents, there was no outsider, but the Syrian regime and the Kurdish militias besieged it and targeted it by artillery shelling and air strikes to force the 50,000 civilians to leave.
The fighter detailed that PYD’s militias tried to enter the neighborhood via the Beiruty bridge, but rebels targeted a military vehicle of People’s Protection Units (YPG) and killed 7, and one of them was capture in his try to run away. Later prominent figures mediated to hand the prisoner and the bodies, in order to release dozens of young men of the neighborhood who were arrested at PYD’s barriers, then life returned to normal, but not for long.
After three days, the fighter continued: “Abo Zubair al-Tunisi” entered the neighborhood and killed one of the police men of the regime, which provoked the Military leader of the Syrian regime, Major General Mohamed Khadour demanding handing ISIS’s figure in order to protect the neighborhood of being shelled, but residents refused that, which resulted in besieging the neighborhood by the Syrian regime from the West, and PYD’s militias from the North and East.
The regime’s forces failed to control the neighborhood despite the heavy artillery shelling and air strikes, in the end, the regime sent a mediator called Rashad Aliwi in September 2, 2014, to reach to an agreement for secure exiting of rebels to Shadiadi city, ending the existence of the armed opposition in al-Jazeera region by falling the last area allowed the Syrian revolution flag to rise.
The democratic Union Party (PYD) has tried to suppress all forces in areas it managed to control, including the Kurdish parties like the National Kurdish Council, besides capturing young men for mandatory conscription to fight against the Islamic State and other opponent forces, all that led to deterioration in the level of living in villages and town such Dibasiyeh, Qmishli, Malkiyah, Qahtaniyah and Mabada and other cities after withdrawal of the Syrian regime in 2012.
Amoda city had suffered most of suppression, although its people had taken off the status of hafiz al-Assad November 8, 2011, but PYD’s militias invaded it and killed 6 civilians and injured dozens in June 27, 2013.
In the Southern countryside of Hasaka, Shadadi city was targeted by the Islamic State. Rebels liberated it from the Syrian regime forces in February 2013, but the Islamic State recaptured it from rebels February 2014, then fighting moved to the town of Markada, which was controlled by ISIS as well, and kept the last stronghold of ISIS in Hasaka.
After 2 years, the Syrian Democratic Forces led by YPG and supported by US-allied forces recaptured the city from ISIS, which lost control on Tal Hamis, Tal Barak, Jabal Abdul Aziz, Mabrokah and al-Hol as well in 2015 to be controlled by YPG.
In Deir Ezzor, the biggest province in the Eastern region of Syria which includes the cities of Deir Ezzor, al-Bokamal and Mayadin. The first demonstrations took place in April 2011 from al-Baladi stadium, to gather in al-Madlaji roundabout which was named “the Freedom Square” later after becoming the centre for demonstrations.
In the Friday of “Ahfad Khalid Ibn al-Walid” in July 2011 , the biggest demonstration took place which included hundreds of thousands, and in the end of the same month, the Syrian regime violently tried to separate demonstrators, which resulted in killing and injuring dozens of them, and subsequently defection of many soldiers and officers took place and formed the first Free Syrian Army in the Eastern region. the FSA liberated the whole city, but the Syrian regime almost destroyed it by air strikes and artillery shelling, then the Islamic State captured it in 2014.
Raqqa province was the first city to liberate from the Syrian regime’s control March 4, 2013, but the Islamic State controlled the city only 4 months later in August 2013.
ISIS continued controlling the city till 2014, when it started to deteriorate and PYD started controlling Northern and Western countryside during the last 2 years with support of US-led alliance.
The frequent and changes in controlling different areas of Eastern region of Syria, resulted in displacing the majority of their people to other areas in Syria or to adjacent country.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.