Unknown gunmen attack SDF headquarters in Deir ez-Zor
DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (North Press) – Unidentified gunmen targeted on Saturday a military headquarters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) west of Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria.
“Unidentified gunmen, riding a motorcycle, fired with machineguns at the headquarters of the SDF in the town of Hammar al-Ali west of Deir ez-Zor, causing material damages only,” a military source of the SDF told North Press.
Despite intensified security procedures taken by the SDF, the countryside of Deir ez-Zor has recently witnessed an increase in killing cases against SDF fighters, employees of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), tribal leaders and civilians.
The SDF cordoned off the town and the neighboring villages, and conducted patrols to pursue the attackers inside the town, the source said, adding that the SDF arrested a number of suspects.
Before its liberation by the SDF and the US-led Global Coalition in 2019, the countryside of Deir ez-Zor was an ISIS enclave. After its liberation, a civil autonomous administration was formed to run the affairs of the region. This civil administration is affiliated with the AANES.
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily.