Forced Recruitment by Kurds Reported Again in Northeastern Syria

Witness accounts said on Thursday that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have detained tens of young people in Hasaka city, Qamishli and Ra'as al-Ain to reinforce its troops against the Turkish army and its allied militants.

They referred to the intensified forced recruitment in Hasaka, and said the Kurdish militants had also earlier exercises forced recruitment of Kurdish and Arab civilians residing in Hasaka for years but they are now recruiting even those people who have immigrated to Hasaka from Deir Ezzur and Raqqa.

The Turkish army engaged in clashes with Kurdish militias in Hasaka despite international warnings about the bad humanitarian conditions in the town of Afrin.

Local sources in the town of Ra'as al-Ain in Northeastern Hasaka reported on Wednesday that the Turkish army's artillery units have targeted the Kurdish forces' watchtowers and checkpoints around the town at the Syrian-Turkish borders.

They added that the Turkish army has launched artillery attacks on Kurdish positions in the villages of Tal Halaf, Kashtou, Tal Arqam and Alouk, saying that after the offensive, the Kurdish forces withdrew towards their positions inside Ra'as al-Ain.

Following the attacks, 2 Kurdish forces were killed and a number of others were wounded.

Meantime, sources reported that the Turkish army has targeted Alouk hydro power plant in Ra'as al-Ain, which disconnected the power grid flow and water in Hasaka.

The Turkish army has intensified its attacks in Northern Syria amid the international warnings about the dire humanitarian conditions in Afrin after Ankara's military assault against the region.