Deir ez-Zor tribal leaders condemn government forces’ attacks  

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Tribal leader, elders, sheikhs, and representatives of the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, issued a statement on Friday condemning the attacks by the Syrian government forces and their affiliated militias on civilians, resulting in a massacre that claimed the lives of more than 11 people.

The statement by the Deir ez-Zor tribal elders and sheikhs said, the actions of the so-called National Defense Forces (NDF) and Iranian militias, with the support of the Syrian government, “have become evident to the entire world,” adding that “Iran’s ambitions in the region are now obvious.” 

For the third consecutive day, the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has been experiencing a military escalation. The government forces and Iranian-backed militias have launched attacks and shelling from their positions on the western bank of the Euphrates River.

The attacks have led to the killing of 11 civilians and the injury of six others, according to the SDF Media Center.

The Deir ez-Zor sheikhs pointed out that such attempts aim at distracting the world from the internal issues of the supporting states, in reference to Iran and Turkey, and at allowing terrorism to infiltrate and resurge in the areas run by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).

The statement explained that the systematic shelling by Iran-backed militias on the town of al-Dahla and the village of Jadeed Bakkarah, east of Deir ez-Zor, which led to the massacre claiming the lives of 11 civilians, is a prime example of these actions.

The elders and sheikhs called on the international community to take clear and explicit responsibility to prevent further massacres, displacement, and destruction, and to put an end to these militias supported by the Syrian government.

By Saad al-Yaziji