SDF Sends Forces, Military Equipment to Raqqa after Vast Popular Uprisings

The US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces dispatched military forces and equipment to Raqqa after a large number of people staged demonstrations against the SDF presence in the region.

News ID: 70458

Date: 31 May 2018 - 16:42

TEHRAN (DEFAPRESS)-Local sources in Raqqa reported on Thursday that residents of several districts have called for the rapid withdrawal of the SDF forces during their protest rallies.

They added that the SDF forces have detained a large number of civilians and tried to stop popular uprisings in al-Mashlab district of Abi bin Ka'ab region by air shooting.

The SDF then sent a large number of its forces and military equipment to Ramileh district in Raqqa after the popular uprising and erected a number of checkpoints in the city.

The sources said that tensions are increasing in Raqqa between civilians and the Kurds, adding that 4 SDF forces were killed when a bomb-laden car was detonated in one of their checkpoints near the village of al-Qassaniyeh in Northern Raqqa.

In a relevant development last week, tensions had heightened between the civilians and the US-backed SDF in Raqqa after the Syrian army flags were hoisted in the region.

Local sources in Western Raqqa reported last Thursday that people hoisted the Syrian flag in several villages and towns in the region on Wednesday, provoking the Kurdish SDF forces to attack the villages of Kadiran, al-Salhabiat, A'ayouj, al-Jayef, al-Adnaniyeh and al-Mansoureh in Western Raqqa and the two first and second districts in the town of al-Tabaqah.

The SDF fighters also detained a large number of civilians during the raids and seized the cell phones of most of the young people in the villages of Fatih, A'ayouj and al-Mansoureh.

Meantime, reports said that tens of young people in the second district of al-Tabaqah held rallies to protest at the Kurdish gunmen's forced recruitment in the region.

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