Author: Piling » Fri Apr 25, 2014 7:05 am
April 25, 2014
SEREKANIYE, Syrian Kurdistan,— Eleven people have been killed and a further eleven injured in twin suicide bombings in Serêkaniyê in Jazeera Canton of Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) on Thursday, according to the Kurdish People's Defense Units (YPG) Press Center.
The first attack took place around noon at a YPG center at the entrance of the Serêkaniyê (Ras-Al-Ain in Arabic). Within a short time a second attack took place about four km away in the district of Tel Khalaf. The second attack employed a car laden with explosives and targeted the offices of the local protection units.
One member of the YPG was killed in the first attack, while six civilians and four members of the Kurdish protection units (Asayish)www.Ekurd.net were killed in the second. Children were among those wounded in both attacks.
YPG sources have put the blame for attacks in the Islamic-jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and emphasized that the attacks followed successful YPG operations against ISIS and were therefore not coincidental.
The district of Tel Khalaf is immediately across from the General Directorate of Agricultural Enterprises (TİGEM) in Ceylanpınar, which as reported last year has been turned in a headquarters for militant gangs operating in Syrian Kurdistan. It is one of the principal crossing points by which militans pass from Turkey to Syria.
First Attack Since Local Elections
This attack was the first attack in Serêkaniyê since local elections took place in Turkey on March 30th. The AKP is accused of having stolen the election in Ceylanpınar through fraud and voter intimidation and major protests gripped the city for days following the election. The results of the election also increased fears that the Turkish state would attempt to turn Ceylanpınar into a base from which to attack Serêkaniyê and Syrian Kurdistan at large. The AKP mayor of Ceylanpınar, Menderes Atilla, was photographed last year posing with foreign militants.
The Turkish government moved its base of operations for supporting foreign militants to Ceylanpınar after the YPG liberated Serêkaniyê in July of last year. Most recently YPG forces engaged ISIS in Serêkaniyê on March 21st, in which at least 12 members of ISIS were killed. The clashes were part of a larger operation meant to support the Kobanê Canton of Syrian Kurdistan which was then under attack by ISIS. On March 19th YPG forces liberated the village of Tel Hezir, 25 km to the west of Serêkaniyê, from ISIS which had used the village as a base. During the whole operation the YPG liberated the villages of Tel Henzir, Tel Xezal Miço, Ferisa Şerabiyan, Ferisa Sofiyan, Ferisa Dişo, Tel Boğan, and Tel Meha and killed 32 ISIS members.
In the past months the border areas of Syrian Kurdistan region have been the target of several attacks by Islamic-jihadists from ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham) linked to al-Qaeda.
Syrian Kurds declared their own autonomous Kurdish region in Syrian Kurdistan in November 2013.
Following Jazeera (Cizîre) and Kobanê (Ayn al-Arab) cantons, Efrin (Afrin) has officially proclaimed the establishment of its government of Democratic Autonomy in January 2014.
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