Violence in Kurdish-majority town over killing of former fighter: Syria state media

On Friday, Syrian state media reported that violence erupted in the Kurdish-majority town of Kobane, following the killing of a former fighter named Sami Shekhmous Hiso, also known as Sepan. The Syrian state television claimed that outlaws attacked police vehicles and launched an assault on the Internal Security Directorate building. Hiso's body was returned with bullet wounds on Thursday in the northeastern Hasakeh province, where Kurds had gathered to protest his killing.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor stated that security forces imposed a curfew on Kobane. Hasakeh province governor Noureddine Ahmed Eissa condemned the "heinous crime" and called it a violation of human, moral, and legal values, as well as an attack on societal security and citizens' lives. Sipan Hamo, a regional assistant defense minister and former senior Kurdish military official, mourned Hiso and reported that several people had already been arrested in connection with the case.

Hamo urged against inflammatory media rhetoric inciting violence and appealed to the public to exercise patience and restraint. In January, the Syrian government and the Kurds reached an integration agreement after clashes between Syrian Kurdish fighters and the new authorities, resulting in the Kurds losing significant territory. Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi later announced the dissolution of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and was appointed as an adviser to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in late August.

Kobane holds symbolic significance for Kurds, as it was the site where Kurdish fighters successfully pushed back and defeated Islamic State group jihadists in 2015.