Abu Omar al-Idlibi on the latest developments in Deir ez-Zor
Abu Omar al-Idlibi, commander of the ‘Northern Democratic Brigade’, a branch of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa, spoke to Target Media Platform about the political and military developments in the currently troubled Deir ez-Zor region. He confirms that external forces are significantly involved in the unrest and are deliberately trying to spread chaos.
“The Assad Regime and Turkey are jointly fomenting unrest“
Al-Idlibi first gave insights into the interests of the Syrian regime in the area. “The Syrian regime is deliberately precipitating a conflict, using religious aspects and targeting tribal borders to provoke unrest. The regime’s goal is to control the region with forces stationed in the Northeastern region of Syria. Some of these Forces are linked to Nawaf al-Bashir,” al-Idlibi explained.
In fact, al-Bashir recently commented on what happened in Deir ez-Zor. He said that the areas around Deir ez-Zor would come under the control of the disaffected tribes at a later stage. Government institutions would then enter to administer it and restore “Syrian sovereignty” over Deir ez-Zor. According to a report by the North Press Agency (NPA), al-Bashir is said to have met with representatives of tribes living in the region at a Russian base in the city of Hatla in Deir ez-Zor. According to one participant at the meeting, he reportedly demanded that the tribes arm themselves against the SDF and the international coalition present there. Al-Bashir is a leader of the al-Baggara tribe and also a militia leader. His militia is under the crucial influence of Iran, which is an ally of the Assad regime.
Al-Idlibi also spoke about the common interests of the Assad regime and Turkey. He revealed exciting details: “Recently, the connection between the Assad regime and the Turkish occupation was uncovered by news channels that are jointly fomenting conflicts and thereby want to provoke internal tensions between Kurds and Arabs through the families of Deir ez-Zor”.
Turkey used to be one of the Assad regime’s most sworn enemies for years since the inception of the Syrian war. But for several years there has been relative truce between the two countries, which has now led to talks regarding a normalization of relations through Russian mediation for several months. Even if both parties fundamentally disagree on many issues, there are some issues on which they agree and also express that together. Thus, after the last meeting within the framework of the so-called “Astana format” by Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria, a joint statement was made that the US presence in Syria would promote “separatist aspirations” and that this violates the integrity of Syria. Therefore, it is not surprising that Turkey and the Assad regime share the same intentions in the current situation. Turkey has long been fighting the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and has intensified its military activities in Syria in concomitance with the unrest in Deir ez-Zor. The same applies to the Assad regime, which recently bombed areas in Deir ez-Zor affected by the unrest.
“A discord between Kurds and Arabs is out of discussion”
“There are plans by the Assad regime and Turkey to sow discord between the peoples of the region. Their goal is to incite a conflict between Kurds and Arabs, but these plans have so far failed,” al-Idlibi continued. In fact, media close to the Assad regime and pro-Turkish forces tried to create opposition between Arabs and Kurds in Deir ez-Zor. The removal of the commander of the Deir ez-Zor military council was deliberately interpreted in this way, although the allegations against Ahmad al-Khabil and his comrades-in-arms were quite different. Eventually, dignitaries and sheikhs of the local Arab tribes intervened in the conflict, stating that the deposition was in agreement with them and there would be no discord between Kurds and Arabs who had lived in peaceful coexistence in this region for hundreds of years. They criticized outside attempts to create chaos and unrest, and called on the populace and tribes to stand back and rally around the SDF.
Finally, al-Idlibi said a few words about the military situation in the region and reiterated his determination to keep fighting: “Our operation is still ongoing and our forces are pursuing the Iran-backed cells of Nawaf al-Bashir. The operation is becoming systematic and carefully implemented to protect civilians”.