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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Tension persists in northeastern Syria |
| 2004-03-16 |
| Armed Syrian police stood guard yesterday on main streets in Qamishli, where most shops were closed and the atmosphere remained tense after deadly weekend rioting sparked by a soccer squabble but fuelled by old ethnic divisions and new political realities. While the two main towns in the tense northeast â Qamishli and Hasakah â were generally calm yesterday, there were reports of more violence elsewhere. In other parts of the region bordering Turkey and Iraq, residents looking at burned vehicles and gutted shops feared it would flare again. Gunmen broke into the house of a local official in the Syrian town of Ayn Al Arab late on Sunday, shooting his son, according to police officials in Qamishli who spoke on condition of anonymity. Rioters also set fire to a government civil registry office in the town, which is 200 kilometres southwest of Qamishli. Turkeyâs Anatolia news agency, reporting from the Turkish border town of Suruc, said Kurds in Ayn Al Arab also attempted to raid a local prison and free prisoners, but were unsuccessful. A âfew peopleâ were killed in clashes between the kurds and soldiers, the agency quoted âlocal sourcesâ in Ayn Al Arab as saying. "Nobody important, though..." The disturbances began on Friday in Qamishli, 775 kilometres from Damascus, with clashes between supporters of Al Jihad and Al Futuwa soccer teams shortly before their Syrian championship match was to begin in the city stadium. The next day, hundreds of Kurds went on the rampage, vandalising shops and state offices in Qamishli and Hasakah. There was no official death toll from Syriaâs worst trouble in many years. At least 15 people were killed and more than 100 wounded, according to Kurdish officials and hospitals in the area. Eleven of the dead were Kurds and the rest Arab. One Turkish media report said up to 49 people have died. About 250 Kurds were reportedly rounded up by security forces. Yesterday, smoke was still rising from smoldering animal fodder barns that were set on fire during the rioting in Qamishli. Riot police armed with automatic rifles patrolled the main streets of the town, where many shops remained closed. A Customs office and a railway station were destroyed by fire. Cars outside the government buildings were damaged, overturned or gutted. Rioters also broke chairs and desks at the Arabistan School. âKurds are to blame for what has happened,â said an Arab in the town who did not wish to give his name. âThey are trying to politicise the issue to serve their own interests.â "I hate Kurds. Their moustaches look all wrong, and they wear those funny pants. And they cheated when they beat our football team. Yâjust canât trust âem." A ranking official in Qamishli also charged that some Kurdish parties were collaborating with âforeign forcesâ to annex some villages in the area to northern Iraq. The official insisted that his name and position not be disclosed. "I can say no more! But you know whudda mean..." Since the outbreak of violence, Kurdish officials have accused Arabs of attacking Kurdish property. In Hasakah, 707 kilometres from Damascus and 80 kilometers south of Qamishli, life was returning to normal and shops have reopened. But, underscoring the tense atmosphere, schools remained closed. |
| Posted by:Fred |