Kurdish fighters raise flag of PKK leader in centre of Raqqa
On June 23, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) imposed a curfew inside the city of Raqqa. The Syrian “Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently” blog reported that units of the SDF’s security forces (Asayish) had surrounded all the headquarters of the US-backed Free Syrian Army (FSA) group – Thuwar al-Raqqa Brigade – inside the city.
According to local sources, several members of the Thuwar al-Raqqa Brigade and their relatives have been arrested or assaulted by the Asayish, so far.
In an official statement, the Thuwar al-Raqqa Brigade confirmed that Asayish is currently besieging its headquarters in Raqqa and called on the US-led coalition to intervene and put an end to this situation. The FSA group also called on the civilians to protest in the city against the Kurdish-dominated force.
From its side, the SDF claimed in an official statement that its security forces are conducting a security operation against several cells of ISIS, which managed to sneak into Raqqa. These cells conducted a series of operations and killed four fighters of the SDF lately, according to the official statement.
Raqqa will likely witness a dangerous escalation in the upcoming days as many sides are calling on the civilians there to protest against the aggressive polices of the SDF. Such tension was highly expected by local observers who have warned from the beginning that the Kurdish-dominated force will not withdraw from the Arab city after its liberation from ISIS.
