Markada subdistrict, south of al-Hasakah city in northeastern Syria, is suffering from the absence of security checkpoints and Internal Security Forces, a situation that has negatively affected the area and its safety.
Residents told Enab Baladi that this absence has increased anxiety and instability, amid calls to strengthen the security presence and organize checkpoints to control the situation and improve safety in the subdistrict.
The absence of Interior Ministry forces, whose presence is limited to a single checkpoint at the entrance to the town, has worsened the security situation in the subdistrict. Theft rates have risen noticeably, including thefts of motorcycles, electricity transformers, generator diesel, and other private property.
Theft Rates Rise
A motorcycle shop owned by Salman al-Ali in Markada subdistrict was robbed of six new motorcycles during the evening, out of 12 motorcycles inside the shop, in an incident that reflects the deteriorating security situation in the subdistrict.
Salman told Enab Baladi that the absence of security checkpoints in the subdistrict, along with the lack of surveillance cameras, made the theft easier and left no deterrent.
He said his losses exceeded $3,000, a large amount that caused him a financial crisis and completely affected his source of income.
Salman called on the area administration and Internal Security to urgently activate a police station inside the subdistrict, strengthen security measures, and increase patrols to prevent such incidents from recurring and to protect residents’ property.
A cow belonging to Salma al-Hammadeh in the Markada subdistrict was stolen. She had relied on it as her main source of livelihood and as a way to support her four children after her husband died in a mine explosion caused by remnants of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Salma told Enab Baladi that hers was not the only case, as the subdistrict has witnessed several thefts targeting different properties amid the absence of an actual security presence and the lack of pursuit of the perpetrators.
She demanded that her cow be returned or that she be compensated, stressing that losing it placed her in difficult living conditions. She called on the subdistrict administration to act urgently to control the security situation and prevent such incidents from recurring.
Local Attempts to Control Security
Mahmoud al-Barri woke up to the sound of his car window shattering and found thieves trying to steal it. The intervention of his neighbors and his proximity to the place prevented the theft from being completed, forcing the thieves to flee.
Mahmoud told Enab Baladi that these incidents have become repeated recently, especially thefts targeting cars and agricultural tractors, amid a clear decline in security.
He added that the absence of security points pushed residents of the town to create local checkpoints on their own to protect their property and limit theft.
He said the solution lies in improving the security situation by deploying night patrols, installing surveillance cameras, and establishing a police station inside the subdistrict.
According to Enab Baladi’s monitoring, the subdistrict has been subjected, from mid-March to mid-April of the current year, to the theft of nearly seven cars, as well as dozens of motorcycles, two private electricity transformers, and several livestock.
One Checkpoint on the Outskirts
Khalaf al-Barghash, who is tasked with administering the Markada subdistrict, told Enab Baladi that the security situation in the subdistrict requires strengthening the presence of Internal Security Forces to reduce thefts and any attacks against residents.
He explained that the subdistrict has only one Internal Security checkpoint on its outskirts, which is not enough to secure the area fully, especially as about 110 villages fall under its authority.
He added that the subdistrict administration is working to communicate with the concerned authorities to strengthen the deployment of security forces and control theft and violations.
He stressed that improving the security situation in the subdistrict has become an urgent necessity amid the rising number of incidents affecting residents’ stability.
The total area of the Markada subdistrict in southern al-Hasakah is about 3,383 square kilometers. It is one of the largest subdistricts in the governorate by area, administratively affiliated with al-Shaddadi district, and located in the far south of al-Hasakah governorate on the administrative border with Deir Ezzor governorate, and to the southeast near the Iraqi border.
The subdistrict is geographically connected to desert areas extending toward Deir Ezzor governorate and Iraq, giving it a strategic location within the Syrian Badia.
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