At least seven civilians were killed when they resisted the PKK's Syrian affiliate, the People's Protection Units (YPG), during a youth recruitment drive in an Arab-dominated village in Raqqa, Syria, local sources said yesterday. The incident occurred when the YPG raided a village called al-Khatuniyyah, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity fearing for their security.

The terrorists abducted many civilians, burned several houses, and beat women and girls, the sources said. The village was already on guard after the terror group sent forces to the town last week in a bid to arm youth and pressure civilians. On Friday, villagers attacked a building belonging to the terrorist organization in the village and set three vehicles owned by the group ablaze.

Separately, the terrorist group destroyed stores belonging to civilians in another village called Suwaidan Jazira in northeastern Syria's eastern Deir ez-Zor province, the sources also noted. The terrorists also abducted scores of people when the victims held a demonstration to voice their reactions to their stores being destroyed.