ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A Kurdish member of the Syrian army was killed near the Hasaka city after being abducted by unidentified gunmen, local media reported on Thursday, while a conflict monitor said he was killed by Arab tribesmen in an apparent revenge attack.
Sipan Hizni was a member of a Syrian army brigade comprising fighters from the now-dissolved Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). He was abducted by "armed men" in the vicinity of Hasaka city before being killed, according to Ronahi TV, which is affiliated with the Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava).
A video purportedly showing a man standing over Hizni's body after the killing was shared by several social media accounts. Rudaw English could not independently verify that the body shown in the footage was Hizni's.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor that relies on a network of sources inside Syria, said Hizni was killed by members of the Bagara Arab tribe, who had accused him of involvement in the killing of several members of the tribe around two years ago.
A video of Hizni telling pro-government media that it was the SDF that liberated the country from the Islamic State (ISIS) had gone viral earlier this year as Syrian government forces began entering Rojava as part of an integration process.
The killing comes weeks after two members of the Syrian army's Qamishli Brigade, made up of former SDF fighters, were killed and two others wounded when unidentified gunmen attacked their post in Tawil Harb village, south of Qamishli.
Damascus and the SDF reached a ceasefire and phased integration agreement in late January following clashes between the two sides. The deal provided for former SDF fighters to be incorporated into the Syrian army through several brigades, including units based in Hasaka and Qamishli, while Kurdish security and civilian institutions were also to be integrated into state structures.
SDF commander Mazloum Abdi announced in August that the integration of the group's military, security and administrative institutions into the Syrian state had been completed. Days later, the SDF formally announced its dissolution, ending its independent military structure after years as the main US-backed force fighting ISIS in Syria.
Hasaka residents received Hizni's body late Thursday, according to a Rudaw reporter on the ground.
The Syrian army has not commented on the killing of its member.
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
.png&w=3840&q=75)
