Afrin… Details of the violent clashes that took place between the al-Hamzat and Ahrar al-Sharqiya factions

ARK News… As a result of a dispute over a piece of land belonging to a displaced Kurdish citizen, violent clashes, Monday, June 3, 2024, broke out between two armed factions in Afrin city in Syrian Kurdistan.

Local sources confirmed that "the clashes broke out between the gunmen of al-Hamzat and Ahrar al-Sharqiya as a result of a dispute over the seizure of a plot of land next to the new headquarters of the council that belonged to a displaced Kurdish citizen."

The sources added the confrontations began on al-Mazot and al-Vellat streets in Afrin city centre, after which the al-Amanos Hospital was evacuated of medical staff and patients. Then they extended to the al-Hamam border crossing in the Jenderes town, in addition to the clashes extending into the villages of Rajo town.

According to the sources, “al-Hamzat” gunmen targeted all the villages in which the headquarters of “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” were located in the Jenderes town, amid a great state of panic among the civilian ranks, as they took control of all the headquarters of “Ahrar al-Sharqiya” and captured a number of them.

Some projectiles fell between residential neighbourhoods on the “al- Malahi” and “al-Mazot” streets in Afrin city centre, and fire broke out in a building amid reports of civilian casualties.

In this regard, the Public Relations Office of the “Joint Force” issued a statement about the clashes, in which it said: “We mobilized all forces, blocked roads, and directed convoys to stop the clash, resolve the ongoing dispute, and prevent support from reaching the Afrin city centre.”

It added: "After the dispute was resolved, we issued orders to our forces to withdraw immediately and hand over all the headquarters and weapons that were confiscated to prevent the clash."

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