Syrians protest attacks of US forces, SDF militants on educational centers in Hasakah

People have staged a demonstration in Syria’s northeastern city of Hasakah to express their strong denunciation of attacks and arbitrary measures by American occupation forces and Kurdish-led militants affiliated with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against educational centers and academics there.

The protesters, including students, teachers, university professors as well as members of civil rights organizations, converged at President Square of the city, located 650 kilometers (400 miles) northeast of the capital Damascus, on Wednesday under the motto “Hands off our colleges, institutes and schools.”

The participants raised banners in protest against US troops’ criminal acts and their destruction of university buildings and educational centers.

The protesters also denounced the SDF militants’ attempts to deprive thousands of students of education since they oppose the official curricula developed by the Syrian Ministry of Education.

They also condemned the systematic attacks of US occupation forces against educational centers in Hasakah.

“We have come together here to denounce the violations of American occupation forces and their allies against the entire Syrian territories, the latest of which was the deliberate targeting of buildings at al-Furat University campus which amounts to a war crime,” Fawaz al-Dibs, a member of the political bureau of the Syrian Communist Party, told Syria’s official news agency SANA.

He added, “We are sending a clear message to occupiers that neither their presence is desirable nor their claim of fighting terrorism is right, as they spearhead international terrorism.”

The director of al-Furat University campus in Hasakah, Dr. Jamal Abdullah, said, “They [US occupation forces] continue to destroy universities and educational centers,” calling for united measures to convey the message that US forces are war criminals and must be expelled from Syrian lands without delay.

The US military has stationed forces and equipment in eastern and northeastern Syria, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.

Damascus, however, says the unlawful deployment is meant to plunder the country’s resources.

Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in Syria for its oil.

After failing to oust the Syrian government with the help of its proxies and direct involvement in the conflict, the US government has now stepped up its economic war on the Arab country.

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Security conditions have been deteriorating in the SDF-controlled areas in Syria’s northern and northeastern provinces of Raqqah, Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr.

Local Syrians complain that the SDF’s constant raids have generated a state of frustration and instability, severely affecting their businesses and livelihood.

Residents accuse the US-sponsored militants of stealing crude oil and refusing to spend money on service sectors.

Local councils affiliated with the SDF also stand accused of financial corruption.

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