By Suleiman Al-Khalidi
AMMAN (Reuters) – The U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces sent reinforcements to the eastern province of Deir al-Zor on Wednesday to quell widespread unrest from Arab clans who took up arms after the arrest of an Arab commander.
Witnesses and local sources said that at least 40 fighters from both sides and 15 civilians were killed in battles taking place since Sunday in a series of towns in a strategic oil belt in the heart of the Arab clans area, east of the Euphrates River, which is controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
The fighting erupted on Sunday after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested Ahmed Al-Khabil, nicknamed Abu Khawla, who was the head of its Deir Ezzor Military Council. He was also a senior Arab commander in the Syrian Democratic Forces, a US-formed alliance of militants whose backbone is the Kurdish People’s Protection Units.
In its first comment on the situation, the Syrian Democratic Forces issued a statement saying that Abu Khawla was arrested and removed from his position on charges of participating in numerous crimes, including drug smuggling and failure to deal with the threat of the Islamic State in the province.
Residents said that the Syrian Democratic Forces sent new reinforcements and bombed several towns and villages, where the armed Arab clans burned tires, set up ambushes for vehicles, and bombed the positions of the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Tribal fighters captured several checkpoints and attacked patrols in several towns, including Al-Shuhail near the Al-Omar oil field, close to where US forces are stationed.
Tribal figures and residents said the growing unrest over Abu Khawla’s arrest revealed deep anger toward the Kurdish-led force that controls the mostly Arab population of the oil-rich province.
Arab residents, who suffer from deteriorating living conditions, complain that the Kurdish-led administration is not giving them their share of the oil wealth.
The Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which are supplied with weapons by the Pentagon, have long denied discriminating against Arabs and say they seek to end the injustice against the Kurds that deprived them of their culture before the start of the Syrian conflict in 2011.
The YPG was the United States’ main partner in Syria in driving the Islamic State out of Deir Ezzor and defeating the Syrian army and its Russian backers to take control of some of Syria’s largest oil fields.
(Prepared by Doaa Muhammad for the Arabic Bulletin)
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2023-08-30 23:11:00
