The Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Wednesday announced the end of military operations in Deir Ezzor following days of intense clashes with local Arab tribes that killed at least 100 people.
“Sweeping operations in Dhiban have been completed. And now the town is clear of the intruding armed groups who fled to regime-controlled areas they originally came from earlier,” Farhad Shami, head of the SDF media center, claimed.
The town of Dhiban on the east side of the Euphrates River has been the center of a brief Arab uprising against Kurdish rule.
The uprising began last week after the US-backed SDF arrested Ahmed Khabil, also known as Abu Khawla, the Arab commander of the SDF-linked Deir Ezzor Military Council (DEMC), and four of his colleagues. The SDF accused Abu Khawla of corruption, drug trafficking, and coordinating with “external entities.”
According to Syria expert Hassan Hassan, the SDF suspected Abu Khawla had turned against the unpopular SDF and was working with the Syrian government to expel SDF forces from the Arab areas of Deir Ezzor.
The SDF then launched a security operation to target Abu Khawla’s forces under the pretext of targeting ISIS cells in the region. This sparked a broader uprising from Arab tribes led by Ibrahim al-Hafel, the head of the powerful Akeidat tribe. Tribal forces took control of several major towns, including Dhiban, Al-Busayra, and Al-Shuhail.
The SDF accused Hafel of sedition and stated its goal to arrest him.
Pro-opposition Syria TV reported that the US seeks to balance its support between Kurdish and Arab elements in northeast Syria. The US wishes to maintain influence with Arab tribes in Deir Ezzor, seeing them as necessary to counter the influence of Syrian government-backed militias in the region. However, Washington is reportedly uncomfortable with Ibrahim al-Hafel.
On 2 September, US diplomats contacted Musab, Ibrahim’s brother, to stress that Washington was not involved in the conflict and would not help the SDF target the Arab tribes.
Sources suggest that Washington seeks to replace Ibrahim as leader of the Akeidat with his uncle, Sheikh Hafel Al-Jadaan, who lives in the US.
On Wednesday, SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi stated during a televised interview that the tensions in Deir Ezzor were part of a larger scheme by the Syrian government to expel the SDF and occupying US forces from the governorate.
During a recent visit to Iran, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad warned, “US occupation forces should withdraw ... before they are forced to do so.” Furthermore, in mid-July, dozens of Arab tribesmen and members of the pro-government National Defense Forces (NDF) held a rally in Deir Ezzor that a Russian general attended.
“The end of US forces will be at the hands of Arab tribesmen who stand behind the Syrian army,” an NDF commander said during the ceremony.
In mid-August, the Syrian army reinforced its positions with soldiers and military equipment in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor in response to increased attacks by ISIS and a possible assault on Al-Bukamal by US occupation forces and their allies.
(The Cradle)
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