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On December 28, the head of the Deir Ezzor Civilian Council, a part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, survived an assassination attempt.
The official, Mohamad al-Rajab, was reportedly targeted by unidentified gunmen moving a motorcycle while he was passing near the town of al-Hassan in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor. He was reportedly on his way to attend a meeting in the council’s headquarters.
No side has yet claimed responsibility for the attempt on al-Rajab’s life, which came amid mass protests in different parts of Deir Ezzor against the SDF and its main backer, the United States-led coalition.
The protests broke out exactly a week ago following the separate murder of two girls and a man from the Al-Baggara tribe. The prominent Arabian tribe accused the SDF’s Deir Ezzor Military Council of the crime. These accusations were ignored the SDF. The group took the side of its top military commander in Deir Ezzor, Rashid Abu Khawla, who has a criminal past and is known to be especially close to the U.S.
A few days into the protests, the SDF initiated talks with Al-Baggara whose leaders demanded an transparent investigation into the murders of the tribes members as well as the formation of their own military council.
The recent events in Deir Ezzor show how the Kurdish-led SDF is slwoly losing its grip on Arab areas in northern and eastern Syria. Even its Arab affiliates have begun to provoke the locals in these areas.
ISIS continues to take advantage of the tensions created by the SDF in Deir Ezzor to spread its influence and radical ideology in the governorate. Meanwhile, the U.S.-led coalition seems to be only concerned with holding onto key oil and gas facilities there.
