Commander of Deir ez-Zor military council dismissed after abuse of power

A change of power is taking place at the military top of a subunit of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria.

Specifically, it involves the Deir ez-Zor Military Council leader Ahmed Al-Khabil, known as “Abu Khawla”. The Deir ez-Zor Military Council is a majority-Arab group organized in the SDF. There has been tension between Al-Khabil and the SDF in the past. In 2017, for example, he was detained for several days when he allegedly tried to integrate fighters who had fought on the side of Turkey into his own ranks. Al-Khabil, who was imprisoned for gang-related theft before the civil war, has also been accused of oil smuggling in the past. He is considered influential among some Arab tribes in the region.

Tensions between al-Khabil and the SDF arose as early as July of this year but were resolved shortly thereafter. According to the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), Al-Khabil is now said to have planned to integrate 1,000 men from the region’s extended Arab families into its ranks on its own authority, without consultation with the SDF.

The SDF issued a press release on Wednesday about the release of Ahmed Al-Khabil, whom they had arrested on Sunday.

It states that “after numerous complaints from the population, the follow-up, as well as under the assessment of numerous reports, on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the Prosecutor’s Office of the Self-Government of Northern and Eastern Syria,” Ahmed Al-Khabil and four others of his associates are released and relieved of all their duties. Further, he is alleged to have committed crimes and is also involved in drug trafficking. In addition, he is said to have been in contact with forces “hostile to the revolution.” His role in fighting IS was also viewed negatively.

In fact, the Islamic State is most active in the Deir ez-Zor region. Al-Khabil was already accused of a lack of commitment to the fight against IS when he was arrested in 2017. When IS was at the height of its power in 2014, Al-Khabil offered his services to the terrorist organization at the time, having previously served as one of the “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) leaders in Deir ez-Zor for three years. Only when IS executed his brother, he turned his back on the organization and joined the SDF with his militia in 2016. In 2019, during an interview with the North Press Agency (NPA), he referred to the areas of northern Syria occupied by Turkey as “liberated,” even though Turkey captured these areas from the SDF.

The press release also noted that Al-Khabil exploited his position for his own personal interests.