At the regime security zone in Qamishli city, a few meters separate regime army members and a People’s Protection Unit traffic policeman. Neither party seems concerned with the other.
The famous security zone in Qamishli city, which generated many questions for Syrians, is a single street separating the regime's forces and its headquarters from the People's Protection Units controlled areas. The People’s Protection Units are subordinate to the Democratic Union Party and the Autonomous Administration controlling much of al-Hasakah province.
At the edge of the security zone, there is no engagement, no communication and no bullets raising the question about the appropriateness of calling it a security zone. There are usually around four to six regime force members at the separation barrier and none on the Kurdish side opposite. Kurds make fun of the regime checkpoints in Qamishli saying they “are swatting flies” as the regime forces have no role in Qamishli. According to Ammar Johmani’s observations, the regime in Qamishli does not resemble the al-Assad regime elsewhere in Syria which is marked by its brutality and violence. On the contrary, regime forces at checkpoint avoid contact with civilians and military alike.
In turn, Kurds did not express any hostile feelings towards this barrier considering it a silent barrier that does not intervene in their affairs while the Kurdish military do not see the barrier as harmful. Speaking to Ammar Johmani , some Kurdish officials said, “We do not want to Kurds to have to go to Damascus to get a personal record document, as Qamishli provides that!”
Zaman al-Wasl was a few meters away from this checkpoint and took many pictures without any of the regime's forces objecting to the photographer. They ignored Ammar Johmani’s photographer for fear of sparking tension and stirring up the unrest which the silent barrier seeks to avoid at all costs.
The regime appears to be weaker than many believe it to be in this region. According to Kurdish sources, the regime presence is limited to gathering information and monitoring only and without any real military importance.
Kurdish officials confirmed that getting rid of the regime presence in al-Hasakah province would only take 24 hours, but the services the regime provides in the province’s airport and for bureaucratic processes prevents the Kurdish forces from eliminating the regime. The regime’s role in the province is limited, curtailed and does not influence the province or its residents in any great manner
