Syrian Tribes Liberate Towns in Deir Ez-Zur during Clashes against US-Backed Militia
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Armed clashes between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Syrian Arab tribes in Deir Ez-Zur province intensified as local fighters conducted successful operations to liberate the towns of Dhiban and Al-Tayana on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River.
In response, the SDF imposed a strict curfew in several towns in the US-occupied areas of Deir Ez Zur and the entire eastern countryside. According to local reports, the de-facto Kurdish authorities announced over loudspeakers that snipers would target “anyone who violates the curfew.”
Citing local media, Sputnik reported that some Kurdish fighters fled the area as the clashes intensified.
The tribal uprising in Deir Ez Zur began in late August after the SDF invited the head of the formerly US-allied Deir Ez Zur Military Council (DEMC), Ahmed al-Khabil, also known as Abu Khawla, to a meeting in Hasakah where they promptly arrested him and publicly accused him of corruption, drug trafficking, and “collaboration” with the Syrian government.
Abu Khawla’s brother launched the rebellion in response and was soon joined by additional Arab tribes. Since then, dozens of fighters from both sides have perished, and all attempts to quell the violence, even by US officials, have come up short.
Furthermore, on Monday, the leader of the powerful Al-Aqidat tribe, Sheik Ibrahim al-Hafel, called on Syrians living east of the Euphrates to mobilize en masse to demand the expulsion of the SDF and the formation of a local force to “protect and administer the region.”
The SDF partnered with the US occupation army in 2017 to take control of areas of Deir Ez Zur east of the Euphrates during the race against the Syrian army and its allies to defeat Daesh (ISIS or ISIL) and gain control of Syria’s major oil and wheat-producing regions.
The Syrian army currently controls the regions west of the Euphrates.
According to the SDF, the fighters who took control of Dhiban on Monday came under cover of artillery fire from government-controlled areas.
This week's fighting comes just days after Syrians living under the de-facto rule of the US-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) launched a general strike to oppose a fuel price hike of over 300 percent for public transport and industrial vehicles.