Civilians, soldiers killed by YPG booby traps in northeastern Syria: army

The Syrian army has said that a number of civilians and soldiers were killed in explosions of landmines and explosive devices planted by the YPG terrorist group in Raqqa, Deir ez Zor and eastern Aleppo.

In a statement carried by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Wednesday, the army’s Operation Command called on civilians in Raqqa, Deir ez Zor and eastern Aleppo “not to enter the sites or tunnels of the YPG organisation” in northeastern Syria.

“The YPG organisation and PKK terrorists booby-trapped doors, corridors and tunnels, and planted explosive devices disguised as rocks and construction bricks,” it said.

According to the statement, the YPG also rigged with explosives “household furniture and vehicles in most of their former sites, in addition to the houses where they had been stationed and areas near public roads.”

The attack occurred after the Syrian Presidency announced on Tuesday that it had reached an understanding with the YPG terror group, granting the group a four-day period to work out a roadmap for the practical integration of Hasakah, during which a ceasefire would remain in place.

‘Restricted security areas’

Meanwhile, Syria’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday declared al Hol camp in the northeastern Hasakah province and security prisons taken from the YPG group as “restricted security areas.”

“These areas are currently being secured, and efforts are underway to search for the remaining escapees from Daesh prisoners, and complete the collection of necessary data to control the security situation in al Hol camp and other such centres,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Approaching these areas puts violators under penalty of legal accountability and prosecution,” it warned.

The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the PKK, which is recognised as a terror organisation by Türkiye, the US, UK, and the EU.