File image, source: sdf-press.com
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) foiled an infiltration from government-held areas in Deir Ezzor and repelled an attack by Turkish-backed militants in Aleppo amid an uprising by Arab tribes.
The armed uprising began in Deir Ezzor on August 27 after the SDF arrested Rashid Abu Khawla, the leader of its largest Arab faction, the Deir Ezzor Military Council (DMC), along with several other senior Arab commanders from the governorate.
Abu Khawal was accused of several serious crimes and violations, including communicating with an “anti-revolution” foreign power, drug trafficking, abuse of power and facilitating ISIS operations in Deir Ezzor.
Later on August 31, the SDF reportedly targeted a group of tribal fighters who attempted to infiltrate its areas in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside from government-held areas across the Euphrates River.
Head of the SDF’s Media Center, Farhad Shami, said that the “mercenaries who infiltrated [the town of] Jdeidet al-Akidat fled to regime-controlled areas west of the Euphrates again. The rest are being pursued in [the town of] al-Shuhail.”
The so-called Deir Ezzor Civil Council accused the Syrian government of targeting “security and stability” in SDF-held areas in the governorate in a later statement.
The next day, September 1, a large group of tribal fighters launched a surprise attack from Turkish-occupied areas in the northern Aleppo countryside against the SDF-held town of Manbij in support of the uprising in Deir Ezzor. Some of the fighters are members of the so-called Syrian National Army, while others came from the Greater Idlib region which is controlled by al-Qaeada-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The tribal fighters stormed several positions of the SDF and the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), which is present near Manbij to observe a ceasefire that was brokered by Russia and Turkey years ago. The fighters also managed to enter the small village of al-Mihssanly.
The attack on SAA positions didn’t result in any casualties. However, it provoked a fierce response from the Russian Aerospace Forces who launched a series of airstrikes against the attackers.
Later, the SDF announced that the attack was repelled by its forces and said that four civilians were killed by tribal fighters in Mihssanly.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 25 tribal fighters, 11 fighters of the SDF, four suspected gunmen and five civilians, including two children and a woman, have been killed since the start of the uprising in Deir Ezzor.
The U.S.-led coalition, which maintains two bases at the Conoco gas plant and al-Omar oil fields in the eastern and southern Deir Ezzor countryside, has not yet intervened to stop the clashes between the SDF and local Arab tribes.
The clashes in Deir Ezzor could soon provoke a full-blown ethnic conflict between Kurds and Arabs in northern and eastern Syria. The infiltration attempt across the Euphrates River and the attack in the northern Aleppo countryside reflect the severity of the situation
those bastards can call themselves any fancy names they like, but they are just a proxy army for the us reich, guns for hire, do people really think if isis was a real independent movement with a central command it would still exist? the us use it as an excuse to intervene in other countries.
not just them but also so called antifa, which is us terrorist proxy organization, quite number of them was trained by cia in sdf/us occupied part of syria
mr. erdogan, please take over!
he is a big part of the problem.
without erdogan syria will be. kurdish republic of syria .so think about it