Latest developments in Deir ez-Zor

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced in a written statement that the village of Hewayic in Ziban, in the east of Deir ez-Zor, had been completely cleared of mercenaries. The statement reported that 4 members of the Difa al Watani group were captured during the operation. The SDF press center also revealed the identities of 11 SDF fighters who lost their lives in ‘Operation Security Reinforcement’.

Meanwhile, Turkey and the paramilitary structures it supports have launched attacks on many towns, especially Minbij and Til Temir in Northern and Eastern Syria. As a result of these attacks, 4 children and a woman from the same family were killed in Manbij. The clashes, which have been going on for more than a week, have been published by the mainstream media in Turkey as ‘clashes between Kurdish forces and Arab tribes’.

Journalist Ehmed Mihemed, who has been following the ongoing operation in the region, spoke to Mezopotamya news agency (MA) about the developments. Speaking to MA on the 10th day of the SDF operation, Mihemed said that the clashes were not an ‘Arab-Kurdish conflict’ as portrayed by the Turkish media, and that those fighting the SDF were paramilitary structures linked to Turkey.

Most villages liberated

Mihemed stated that the “Operation Security Reinforcement” was proceeding as planned and reported to the MA that the operation was continuing from 3 locations. He noted that some groups had settled in some places under the control of the Damascus government west of the Euphrates, but that most of these villages had been cleared by the SDF. Mihemed further said: “The operation is currently ongoing in the town of Diban on the banks of the Euphrates. The SDF have focused all their attention on this town. The person who armed the gangs in the town is a man named Ibrahim al-Khefel. Ibrahim al-Khefel’s house is in this town and the gangs have gathered around him. Some SDF officials we spoke to said that they were aiming to finish the operation in this town within two days. There are a lot of civilians in this area. The gangs are doing everything they can to harm civilians. In response, the SDF is targeting the gangs with special operations. That is why the operation is taking longer.”

Attacks by Turkish-backed paramilitary forces

According to Mihemed, 43 people involved in fighting the SDF and 16 people involved in drug trafficking were arrested during the operation: “There is no official information about the gangs killed, but as far as we know at least 18 people were killed. Life has returned to normal in many places where there have been clashes.”

Mihemed said it was not Arab tribes that were clashing in Deir ez-Zor, but paramilitary forces, stressing that the Turkish media and some regional media were trying to create the impression that the clashes were between Arab tribes and Kurds, adding: “This is not true. A psychological war is being waged. At the beginning of the operation, Turkey and the paramilitary forces it supports attacked 6 cities at the same time. The aim is to eliminate the will of the people in the region. There are also serious demonstrations against the government in Damascus and in order to pave the way for this, the government in Damascus is playing Turkey’s games. The SDF launched an operation against ISIS with some of its own members who had committed crimes. The demand for the operation came from the Arab tribes.”

The operation may take another week

Underlining that 70 percent of the forces in the SDF are Arabs, Mihemed added that the statements made on social media under the name of tribes are all videos taken in areas occupied by Turkey and the paramilitary forces it supports. He continued: “The only person who supports the gangs is a man named Ibrahim al-Khefel. Ibrahim al-Khefel considers himself to be one of the notables of the area, but the locals do not accept this. He is a man who gathers some paramilitary forces around him.”

Mihemed said that Turkey’s attacks on the region have never stopped in the past 11 years, adding that Turkey’s aim is to change the demography of the region. Mihemed continued his assessment as follows: “It seeks every opportunity to achieve this. With the SDF’s latest operation, it has intensified its ongoing attacks. They carried out attacks in many places to give the gangs a breathing space. However, the SDF is fighting both ISIS and Turkish terror on many fronts. As the gangs are pushed into a corner, Turkey is increasing the frequency of its attacks.”

Finally, Mihemed said that there was no clear information about when the operation would end, estimating from his observations on the ground that it could take another week. He also said that the SDF officials he spoke to told him that they would take serious measures to prevent security problems from recurring.