A Killing in Meydankey
Clashes break out between an SNA faction and members of the al-Luhayb tribe
Not long after one in the morning on May 2nd, the first day of Eid al-Fitr celebrations, a young man was killed in the hills overlooking Afrin’s Lake Meydankey. The victim, Bashar Sweidan or Bashar al-Wawi al-Luhaybi, died of gunshot wounds sustained at a checkpoint on the Meydankey-Bulbul road belonging to Syrian National Army (SNA) faction Liwa’ Suqour al-Shamal.
As a member of the al-Luhayb (اللهيب, or al-Hayb/الهيب) tribe, the death of Bashar Sweidan quickly reverberated across northern Syria. By late morning members of the al-Luhayb living in Afrin had mobilized and launched an assault on Suqour al-Shamal positions in the Meydankey area. While these clashes only lasted a few hours, tensions between the al-Luhayb and allied tribes on one hand, and Suqour al-Shamal and other SNA factions remained high until Thursday afternoon, with significant forces mobilized on both sides.
A settlement has since been reached, but this episode demonstrates the continued lack of security within Turkish-controlled northern Syria as numerous disparate actors maintain their capabilities for violence with little centralized oversight.
The Killing
The incident resulting in the death of Bashar Sweidan occurred at some point between 1 AM and 3:32 AM, when it was first reported by local Telegram channel Ehtimlat News. The details are hazy and the narratives put forth by various sources contradict, but what is clear is that Bashar Sweidan and at least one other individual were traveling by car at the time, passing through the rolling, olive tree covered hills of northern Afrin. Sweidan’s car approached a checkpoint controlled by Liwa’ Suqour al-Shamal near the village of Qizilbasha (Kurdish name), or al-Ras al-Ahmar (Arabic name/translation), located twenty kilometers north of Afrin city.
For reasons not completely clear, the car did not stop for the Suqour al-Shamal militants manning the checkpoint, who in response fired upon it. The gunfire eventually brought the car to a stop while mortally wounded Bashar Sweidan. Outside of this basic series of events, the other elements of the story remain muddled. At least one outlet claims that the men in the car shot at the checkpoint guards first, while most say that it was the latter who opened fire, in response to the driver’s refusal to stop. According to Ehtimlat News, the car eventually came to a stop 200m past the checkpoint, where other passengers got out and fled, leaving Sweidan behind. They report that he was then brought to Afrin’s al-Manar hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. Meanwhile, Ezdina’s reporting implies that Sweidan died at the checkpoint, while it was another passenger who was seriously wounded and brought to the hospital.
This second man has been identified by multiple sources as ‘Muhammed Hikmet,’ belonging to the al-Malawi tribe. Hikmet is allegedly involved in the local drug trade, which appears to be the ultimate cause of this deadly altercation. However, there are two conflicting narratives as to how this illicit activity of Hikmet’s relates exactly. Telegram channel Ehtimlat News and media outlets Afrin Post and ASO report that because of this, Muhammed Hikmet was wanted by the SNA Military Police and/or Suqour al-Shamal, and that the latter was tipped off that he was traveling in a silver car. However, Telegram channel ‘Ain ‘Alaa al-Hadath claims that Hikmet was an associate of Suqour al-Shamal faction leader Hassan Khayriyyah, alleging that the SNA offier is involved in the drug trade as well, and that Hikmet and, in coincidentally, Bashar Sweidan were targeted by the faction as the result of a business dispute.
That Morning
At some point before 11:20AM that same day, members of the al-Luhayb and al-Malawi tribes descended upon Suqour al-Shamal checkpoints in the vicinity of al-Ras al-Ahmar. Heavy clashes between the column of tribesmen and the Turkish-backed militants lasted for at least two hours, shutting down the Meydankey-Bulbul road. Outside of standard small arms, the combatants were equipped with RPGs, technicals outfitted with anti-aircraft cannons, and, according to various sources, mortars.
During this period, al-Luhayb members reportedly captured several checkpoints, including al-Ma‘sarah, “the largest in the area.” It’s unclear where exactly al-Ma‘sarah is located and whether it is the same checkpoint where Bashar Sweidan was killed earlier that day. Despite the use of heavy weaponry and the apparent changing hands of territory, casualties appear to have been rather light. While al-Luhayb and al-Malawi casualties have gone unreported, only one member of Suqour al-Shamal was killed in these clashes and three other militants injured.
Only two videos of the fighting circulated online on May 2nd. Both appear to show Suqour al-Sham members defending a checkpoint on the Meydankey-Bulbul Road, near the villages of Qizilbaşa and Bêlê/Baylun, against attacks coming from the south.
It’s possible that this is the aforementioned al-Ma‘sarah checkpoint, as a known Suqour al-Shamal base is located adjacent to the road blocks, implying significance.
A third video was posted by the ‘Kabous Jarabulus al-Kabous’ Telegram channel on May 4th, seeming to show al-Luhayb fighters attacking the same checkpoint from the south.
The clashes came to an end at some point after 1 PM, with the arrival of a convoy of fighters from Hay’at Tha’iroun lil-Tahrir, a major SNA coalition Suqour al-Shamal is affiliated with. While a committee was formed the same day to resolve the issue between the parties, these efforts initially failed. For the next several days, both sides continued to mobilize fighters across the north of Syria. This included within the city of Ras al-‘Ain, far to the east, apparently home to a significant number of al-Luhayb members, as well as a Suqour al-Shamal base.
Tensions simmered until Thursday May 5th when an agreement was finally reached. According to accounts from al-Luhayb members the reason these negotiations took so long is that Suqour al-Shamal was not willing to offer up the fighters responsible for Bashar Sweidan’s death and was demanding the tribe hand over members not involved in the clashes. Presumably these issues were eventually resolved as the al-Luhayb published a statement on May 5th affirming the tribe’s commitment to the “national institutions for the revolution,” and announcing their willingness to turn over any individuals wanted by the reconciliation committee.
This episode is highlights the fact that is not just the discordant factions of the ‘Syrian National Army’ capable of mobilizing and wielding violence across Turkish-controlled northern Syria, as tribal networks powerful local institutions.
Background information on Liwa’ Suqour al-Shamal and the al-Luhayb tribe coming soon…
This piece with published in collaboration with Syrians for Truth & Justice