Tensions flare in Ras al-Ayn as Kurdish families return to find outsiders in homes

HASEKE, Syria — A coordinated return of Kurdish families to the town of Ras al-Ayn in the northeastern Syrian countryside turned confrontational on Monday when six families arrived to find non-local households inside their homes, according to a correspondent on the ground. A dispute broke out between the two sides and several vehicles belonging to the returning families were damaged. Internal Security forces intervened at the scene, calmed the argument and opened a legal file on the matter. The Internal Security units said reports claiming that families displaced from Haseke city or the Hewêran area had blocked the returning families in Ras al-Ayn were inaccurate. Mazloum Abdi, commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces, condemned the attack on the Kurdish families during the return, which he said had been carried out in coordination with the state. He called the angry reactions on the street understandable and urged calm, saying those responsible would be brought before the courts and that security in the area would be maintained.