ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Syrian presidential advisor Mazloum Abdi on Monday stressed the need for a “transparent and independent investigation” into a Kobane prison incident that left nine people dead and several others injured, Rojava-based media reported.

Earlier on the day, a large crowd in Rojava’s (northeast Syria) Kurdish-majority city of Kobane gathered for the funerals of nine inmates who were killed on Saturday after a fire broke at a prison in the area, coming amid heightened tensions following the murder of a Kurdish fighter belonging to the Hasaka Brigade of the Syrian army, which is composed of members of the now-dissolved Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The blaze broke out amid reports of unrest in the pentientiary, with the Rojava-based Ronahi TV accusing Syrian government personnel of attacking prisoners and causing the fire, while Syrian state media reported that the inmates began a riot and set fire to prison facilities after news of the Kurdish fighter's killing came to light.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the chaos began after prisoners protested their planned transfer from Kobane to a prison in Aleppo.

Abdi, the former leader of the SDF who is now a Syrian presidential advisor, on Monday met with Kobane district director Ibrahim Muslim at the district directorate headquarters to review the details of the incident, the Rojava-based Hawar News Agency reported.

Abdi also emphasized the necessity of launching a “transparent and independent investigation into the incident” and stressed the need “to hold accountable those responsible for violations against civilians and prisoners,” the report added.

The pair also discussed measures “to prevent similar incidents in the future,” while stressing the importance of “activating administrative and judicial institutions and accelerating the integration of security, judicial, and administrative bodies within the city.”

On Friday, protests in Syria’s Kurdish city of Kobane turned into clashes with security forces following the abduction and violent murder of a Kurdish Syrian army fighter by a group of armed men allegedly from a Sunni Arab tribe based in Deir ez-Zor.

The tensions come despite the announced completion of the integration process between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus, in line with the January 29 agreement, which entailed the incorporation of the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in Rojava into the auspices of the Syrian state.

The integration followed a violent military campaign by Damascus and its affiliated factions in January that led to the deaths of hundreds and saw a myriad of sectarian-induced war crimes committed against the Kurdish community.

Syria has fallen into sectarian conflict on several occasions since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels overthrew the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024, leading Ahmed al-Sharaa to seize the presidency, with the new authorities in Damascus having been repeatedly criticized for failing to protect minorities.