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The battle between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Arab tribes in the Syrian governorate of Deir Ezzor is heating up.
The battle broke out on August 27 after the SDF arrested Rashid Abu Khawla, the leader of its largest Arab faction, the Deir Ezzor Military Council (DMC), and launched a large-scale security operation within its areas in the governorate in cooperation with its main backer, the United States-led coalition.
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.
Late on September 1, the SDF deployed large reinforcements in the eastern and southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside after suffering heavy losses. Tribal fighters managed to capture several positions of the group and destroyed a number of armored vehicles.
The SDF stressed in a statement that its operation in Deir Ezzor will continue, accusing Arab tribes allied with the Syrian government and members of ISIS of inciting violence in the governorate.
The next day, September 2, SDF fighters managed to enter the town of al-Sabha in the southeastern Deir Ezzor countryside and made some gains in the outskirts of the nearby towns of al-Busayrah and Diban. However, much of the eastern and southeastern country of Deir Ezzor remained in the hands of tribal fighters.
According to the London-based monitoring group, the battle in Deir Ezzor has so far claimed the lives of 31 tribesmen, 13 personnel of the SDF, four suspected gunmen and six civilians, including three children and a woman.
Clashes were reported close to the U.S.-led coalition bases at the Conoco gas plant in the eastern Deir Ezzor countryside and al-Omar oil fields in the southern countryside of the governorate. However, the coalition didn’t intervene in any way.
The battle in Deir Ezzor could soon escalate into a dangerous ethnic conflict in northern and eastern Syria. Clashes between Arab tribes and the SDF have already spread to the northern Aleppo countryside. Now, calls for a tribal uprising against the group in southern al-Hasakah countryside are gaining momentum.
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