SDF captures militants took part in attacks against its forces in eastern Syria’s Deir ez-Zor

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured a group of militants in the town of Shuhayl in Syria’s eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, military sources said on Thursday.

According to the SDF media, the militants took part  in the attacks against SDF points during demonstrations held in the region in the past few days demanding investigation in the attacks on seniors of Egidat tribe.

An SDF source told North Press that their forces raided in Wednesday morning several houses in the town after receiving information where some militants hide.

The source added that the operation resulted in capturing a group of militants, and that it was carried out after the tribes of the region informed about the group. 

In an exclusive statement to North Press, commander of Deir ez-Zor Military Council Ahmad Abu Khawla said the Syrian government and the Irani militias have been working on “stirring up sedition and confusion” in the towns of Deir ez-Zor by recruiting the youth and transporting them through the Euphrates from the regime-controlled side to the SDF-controlled side.          

He stated that ISIS sleeper cells and those close to the Syrian government and the Irani militias exploited the demonstrations and opened fire on the SDF and Deir ez-Zor Military Council forces in the town of Hawayej resulting in the death of some fighters in addition to planting mines in the village of Thiban.   

He added that they obtained confessions from the militants that the Syrian government and the Irani groups pushed them to attack the SDF, and that both the Syrian government and the Irani groups try to recruit members in order to exploit them for their own benefits in the SDF-held areas.

(Editing by Hisham Arafat)