Click to see full-size image. Source: the Hawar News Agency.
Late on September 19, the Syrian military and security forces launched an operation against a group of the National Defense Forces (NDF) that started a mutiny in the northeastern city of al-Hasakah over a month ago.
Video footage that surfaced on social media on September 20 morning showed troops backed by a T-55 main battle tank advancing towards the headquarters of the NDF in the government-held part of al-Hasakah, commonly referred to as the “Security Square,” where mutineers led by Abdel Qader Hamo are holding up.
Local activists also said that government forces fired mortars at the positions of the mutineers, resulting in a series of fires.
Government forces reportedly managed to besiege the mutineers within the NDF headquarters by the afternoon. The Hawar News Agency, which is linked to the Syrian Democratic Forces who control the rest of al-Hasakah city, said that Hamo was wounded.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syrian service member was killed and four others were wounded while taking part in the operation. The London-based monitoring group also said that five civilians, including a woman and an elderly man, were wounded by stray fire from the clashes between government forces and the NDF mutineers.
Hamo, who led the NDF branch in al-Hasakah for several years, started a mutiny in mid-August after he was sacked by the government for his involvement in criminal activities and attacking local tribal leaders in al-Hasakah.
Attempts to reach a peaceful resolution ended on September 14 when the mutineers attacked a bakery located near their headquarters and attempted to expand their control within the city’s Security Square.
The Syrian Ministry of Defense has not commented on the events in al-Hasakah, yet. However, the operation to neutralize the NDF mutineers appears to be nearing its end.
Hamo’s mutiny marked the first time an entire pro-government formation disobeyed orders since the outbreak of the war in Syria more than 12 years ago. It’s worth noting that the mutineers didn’t change their political allegiance, despite making serious accusations against senior Syrian defense and intelligence officials.
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