On July 31, sheikh Ali Alwis, a prominent leader of the Al Baggara tribe in northeastern Syria, was assassinated in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside.
According to the Hawar News agency, Alwis was killed by unidentified assailants while he was on the way from his house in the town of al-Dahla to the local mosque to attend Eid al-Adha prayer. The assailants shot the sheikh with a hand gun equipped with a silencer.
Besides being a prominent leader of Al Baggara, one of the largest Arab tribes in the area, Alwis was the mayor of al-Dahla town.
Sheikh Ali Alwis, source the Hawar News Agency (hawarnews.com)
No group has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Alwis, so far. ISIS, whose cells are active in southeastern Deir Ezzor, remains the main suspect.
A day earlier, ISIS terrorists killed sheikh Suleiman al-Kassar, a prominent leader and a spokesman of Al Uqaydat tribe. The attack took place in the southeastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, too.
The Syrian Democratic Forces that control southeastern Deir Ezzor has recently carried out a series of counter terrorism operations in the region. However, ISIS influence there remains strong. Tension between the Kurdish-led group and the local Arab population may be the cause.
