Deir ez-Zor residents threaten to turn the demonstrations into armed ones

Dozens of residents of villages and towns north of Deir ez-Zor launched a demonstration for the third consecutive Fridays, against the Syrian and Iranian forces that control the whole of Deir ez-Zor city, threatening if the mentioned forces do not leave the area the demonstrations would be armed.

The demonstration started from al-Maamil roundabout, 10km north of Deir ez-Zor, and reached al-Salhiya crossing, known as the 7-kilo area, where the protesters carried banners denouncing the Russian and Iranian presence in Syria and calling on the Global Coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to help them return to their areas from which they were displaced two years ago; as the Syrian government forces managed to advance east of the Euphrates and take control of 7 villages and towns there.

Demands
Jassim al-Hamad a protestor called on the SDF and the Global Coalition to help them return to their villages, he said: “The demonstrations are peaceful; we just want to return to our homes and lands, we’ve been displaced since eight years, and we don’t know where to go.”

Al-Hamad pointed out that, “the Shiite militias and the Syrian regime do not allow us to return to our homes, and if we go back they will kill us as they did to our relatives,” stressing that if their demands were not met, they would fight to reach their villages.

While a young man named Zaher from the village of Khasham east of Deir ez-Zor revealed a bullet which hit him in the stomach, he said: “The previous demonstrations were peaceful, but we were confronted with bullets,” stressing that “if the Shiite militias and the regime do not get out of our areas, we will confront them with weapons next Friday,” he said.

During the first Friday of the protests, three civilians were killed by the Syrian and Iranian forces, while more than 10 others were injured after the demonstrators managed to take control over two checkpoints of the Syrian forces at al-Salhiya crossing, between the areas of the SDF and the Syrian forces.