Suburb of the Syrian city of Raqqa. File photoMOSCOW, Jan 26 In the north-east of Syria, which has been outside government control for a number of years, there is a high risk of provocations aimed at exacerbating interethnic contradictions, said the deputy head of the Russian Center for the Reconciliation of Warring Parties in the Arab Republic, Rear Admiral Oleg Zhuravlev. According to him, the security service of the «autonomous administration of the north and east of Syria» is carrying out mass detentions of men in the settlements of Jisr Esh-Shaddadi, Tell Khamis, Tell Tamr, El Qamishli in the province of Al- Hasaka and in the city of Raqqa.
Russia requested a meeting of the UN Security Council because of the situation in Syria»In the current situation, there is a high risk of provocations by radical formations aimed at exacerbating interethnic conflicts,» Zhuravlev emphasized. Significant territories in northeastern Syria are controlled by autonomists from the alliance sa «Syrian Democratic Forces» (SDF). Their armed groups, which are based on the Kurdish «People's Protection Units» (YPG), with the support of the United States, control most of the provinces of Al-Hasakeh and Raqqa, as well as individual settlements in the provinces of Aleppo and Deir ez-Zor. In particular, most of the quarters in the cities of Al-Hasakah and Al-Qamishli are under their control. Official Damascus does not recognize the administration of the SDF in the north-east of Syria.
