Hidden agreements among three powers may wipe out Hasaka’s identity

Reporting by Mohamed Al Hussein; Translation by Yusra Ahmed

HASAKA (Zaman Al Wasl)-Islamic State for Iraq and al-Sham “ISIS” with the Democratic Union Party “PYD” share control of Hasaka’s countryside. Each one of them created its own institutions to control and rule people.

“PYD” preceded “ISIS” in announcing its own military and security institutions in North of Hasaka after the withdrawal of the regime from the town’s countryside, especially after liberating “Ras al-Ain” by the Free Syrian Army “FSA” late in 2012.

Practically, it seems that hidden agreement on sharing benefits and power in the province among three powers , while Syrian regime control the official documents production in Hasaka’s and Qamishli’s cities, and denies any other documents, PYD’s barriers control the city's entrances. The party formed local councils, courts, police forces, customs, and controlled registering properties and vehicle in their own system, beside raising the party’s flags over official buildings. Those actions were not disapproved by the regime, leading to announcing autonomy on regions the PYD controlled and called it “West Kurdistan”

Controlling the Western, Eastern and southern countryside of Hasaka was not that easy, where PYD took a chance of battles between regime and “FSA” in those areas, which resulted in liberate Ras al-Ain in 2012 to control the northern countryside, but FSA lost it again a year later as a result of heavy shelling and bombing by the regime, and attacks by PYD’s militants. All those battles facilitated circumstances for ISIS to control areas’ under FSA’s control after controlling the city of Raqqa completely.

The Islamic State applied Sharea rules and formed Shora council, Sharea courts and bodies, Islamic police forces, and office for teaching Islam. Besides appointing a Wally for Hasaka and changed its name into “Baraka state” and raise its flag over all official buildings and painted all the city’s entrances with black.

Hasaka’s familiar landmarks and identity disappeared as a result of the race between ISIS and PYD to give the city its own theme.

In the middle of that mess, people confused and did not know who to follow, even in the simplest living needs. “for example, there is 3 options to register a car, either with regime inside the city, or with PYD’s administration in northern of the city, but if the person wanted to go to the south of the city, might need to register it at Caliphate's system ’” an activist explained.

The activist showed more possible disastrous outcomes of that mess, especially problems in registering deaths, births, marriage and other civil register issues.

“youth and young men left the villages and towns in the area fearing of mandatory military service imposed by the PYD, and most employment stopped in areas under the Islamic State control, led to poverty and lack of income, moreover, bombing the oil refineries by the US-led alliance’s strikes, killed the last chance for unemployed to get some income” the activist ended.