2004 Qamishli riots
Kurdish uprising in Syria / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2004 Qamishli riots were an uprising by Syrian Kurds in the northeastern city of Qamishli in March 2004, which culminated in a massacre by the Syrian Arab Armed Forces.
2004 Qamishli riots | |||
---|---|---|---|
Date | 12 March 2004[1] | ||
Location | |||
Caused by | Clashes between rival football fans | ||
Resulted in | Massacre by the Syrian Army
| ||
Parties | |||
Lead figures | |||
Casualties | |||
Death(s) | 30+ | ||
Injuries | 100+ | ||
Arrested | 2,000+ |
Relations between the Arabs who settled in Qamishli during the Arab Belt programme and Kurdish inhabitants had been tense for decades. In March 2004, clashes broke out between Arab and Kurdish audiences during a chaotic football match. The Ba'ath Party local office was burned down by Kurdish demonstrators, who went on to destroy the statue of Hafez al-Assad in Qamishli city, echoing the toppling of Firdos Square statue in 2003.[4][5]
The Syrian military swiftly responded; deploying troops backed by tanks and helicopters, and launching an extensive crack-down. At least 30 Kurds were killed and 160 wounded as the security forces re-asserted control over the city.[6][7] As a result of the crackdown, thousands of Syrian Kurds fled to Iraqi Kurdistan.