Tribal leaders warn of sedition by Syrian government in Deir ez-Zor countryside
DEIR EZ-ZOR/HASAKAH, Syria (North Press)- The sheikhs and notables of Arab tribes in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor and Hasakah called on the residents of the region to resist attempts destabilize security, and held the Syrian government and Iranian militias responsible for the assassinations of tribal leaders in the region.
Turki Zahir, one of the sheikhs of the Akidat tribe in the town of Busirah, held the Syrian government responsible for the recent assassinations against notables and tribal sheikhs in the region.
He told North Press, “The regime creates problems in the region, slaughters sheikhs and dignitaries, and is trying to create instability in the region with the aim of retaking the areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).”
Previous failed efforts
Adnan Shibli, a notable of the Bukhabur tribe, a branch of the Akidat tribe in the town of Salihiya , says that the Syrian government and its Iranian-backed forces are behind what is happening in northeastern Syria.
“We know with certainty that the regime is behind the recent assassinations in the region…the regime seeks to destabilize security and stability and create chaos among the region’s tribes,” Shibli said.
“Previously, we were invited by the regime and the Russia to return to our villages there, but we refused because we do not accept the ruling of the criminal regime and its Iranian militias that killed, displaced people, and destroyed the country during the past ten years,” Shibli added in an interview with North Press.
Shibli expressed his satisfaction with the atmosphere of coexistence among the tribesmen in the areas controlled by SDF, stating, “We support the presence of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Global Coalition in the region.”
Riad Dirar, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, said in press statements that statements issued by the Syrian and Turkish governments after the US administration announced an oil investment agreement with SDF indicate their involvement in recent events in Deir ez-Zor.
Provoking sedition
Muhammad Abd Khalif, a spokesman for the legislature of Shaddadi in the countryside of Hasakah, indicated that they support the SDF.
He added that they refuse any intervention aimed to provoke discord and chaos by the assassination of tribal figures, the latest of which was the assassination of Sheikh Mutashar Hafl, one of the elders of the Akidat tribe.
Pro-Syrian government notables of tribes in the city of Aleppo, in the presence of leaders from the ruling Ba’ath Party and the governor of Aleppo, called on citizens to support what they called popular resistance against American forces on Thursday.
This came just one day after the Syrian government organized a similar event for tribal leaders in the eastern countryside of Raqqa, which is under its control, and calls against the American presence were again heard.
Manaf Raja, one of the notables of the Fadil tribe in Shaddadi, said, “Whoever commits these assassinations seeks to create great discord between the tribesmen and the Syrian Democratic Forces, who are originally our children from all tribes.”
He added that all region’s tribes sacrificed martyrs in SDF’s ranks in order to eliminate terrorism and allow residents to live in freedom and dignity.
Earlier, the General Command of the Syrian Democratic Forces said in a statement that Turkey and the Syrian government are implementing a long-term plan in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, targeting peace and the relationship between the region’s tribes and the civil administration in it, and pitting the tribes against the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Global Coalition.
Opposition’s Goals
Raja called on tribesmen to defend their areas and not to be dragged into sedition.
“We will not waste the sacrifice of these martyrs for the sake of agendas aimed at spreading anxiety and fear in our hearts,” he said, adding, “We saw what happened to our people in Ras al-Ain and Tel Abyad after the National Army, which is fighting under the banner of Turkey, took control of it. It destroyed, deserted, robbed, raped, and spread terror in people’s hearts.”
The spokesman for the Global Coalition, Colonel Myles Caggins, told North Press in mid-August that the Coalition is working with its partners to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of “heinous terrorist acts” in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor.
He revealed that representatives from the US State Department and the Global Coalition met with leaders from civil society, security forces, and tribal sheikhs to ensure accountability for the perpetrators of violent acts in the region.