The cases of car and motorcycle thefts have increased in recent weeks in the city of Ras al-Ain, northwestern al-Hasakah, raising concerns among residents and prompting them to call for enhanced security measures.
Residents of the city interviewed by Enab Baladi reported that theft incidents have risen in residential neighborhoods and markets, where thieves target parked vehicles at night in areas lacking security oversight.
Vehicles and motorcycles
According to Enab Baladi‘s monitoring, after the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, many employees of military and security institutions left Ras al-Ain for their home cities, leading to a rise in theft cases and destabilization of security in the city.
After hearing the sound of his car’s glass breaking, Kamal al-Mohammed woke up in Ras al-Ain to find his vehicle stolen from in front of his home. He hurried outside in an attempt to search for any trace of the thieves in the surrounding area.
Al-Mohammed meticulously inspected the area, trying to find evidence that could lead him to the direction taken by the thieves, but darkness and the abundance of corners made the search difficult with no result.
Al-Mohammed told Enab Baladi that he contacted the security and military authorities but found no trace of the car, despite an extensive search, speculating that it had reached areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) through smuggling routes.
Meanwhile, Issa Karim’s joy at purchasing a vehicle for transporting vegetables locally called “halfaweya” was short-lived, as it was stolen from beside his house in Ras al-Ain less than a month after buying it.
Karim had invested all his savings in purchasing the vehicle, which is his only source of income to support his three children, urging security authorities to search for his car and fulfill their obligations and responsibilities.
According to Enab Baladi‘s monitoring, Ras al-Ain witnessed the theft of approximately eight cars and dozens of motorcycles from mid-December 2024 until January 3 of the current year.
A military patrol by security institutions in Ras al-Ain to maintain security after repeated thefts – January 6, 2025 (Enab Baladi)
15 military points
After the escalation of theft cases, the civil and military police, along with the Syrian National Army (SNA), deployed intensified patrols in the city to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
A security official in the Syrian National Army (who requested to remain anonymous as he is not authorized to make statements) told Enab Baladi that the military authorities in the city formed a coordination room to maintain security, following the occurrence of theft cases involving cars, motorcycles, and private properties.
He added that the Syrian National Army, in collaboration with the civil and military police, established more than 15 guard points, distributed at the entrances and exits of the markets and in neighborhoods of the city.
He mentioned that these patrols will continue in the city until the security situation returns to its previous state.
A nighttime military patrol in the streets of Ras al-Ain to maintain security – January 6, 2025 (Enab Baladi)
Ras al-Ain is located adjacent to the Turkish border and is controlled by the Syrian National Army, surrounded by fronts of fighting with the SDF. The Turkish border serves as its only outlet to the outside.
The city of Ras al-Ain repeatedly records clashes between factions under the umbrella of the Syrian National Army or between tribal factions in the region.
Residents of Ras al-Ain in northwestern al-Hasakah resort to their tribal and clan authorities to resolve disputes and issues that arise among them instead of going to the courts in the city, which has approximately 115,000 inhabitants, due to the absence of systems and the state, along with a vacuum of authority capable of enforcing the law.