Deir Ezzor tribes give coalition, SDF 12-hour ultimatum to break siege
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Tribal groups and the Deir Ezzor Military Council clash with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the northern and western countryside of Deir Ezzor.
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Ahmad Abu Khawla (3rd-R), chief of the Deir Ezzor Military Council (DEMC), speaks during a press conference in the northeastern Syrian village of Abu Fas, on the southern outskirts of Al-Hasakah province, on September 9, 2017. (AFP)
Intermittent clashes continue between armed tribal groups and affiliates of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, on one side, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on the other, in the northern and western countryside of Deir Ezzor Governorate.
The Council's militants managed to regain control of "Abu Khawla Palace" in the village of Rabieda, Deir Ezzor.
Additionally, the Council and the tribal groups blocked roads connecting the northern and western countryside of Deir Ezzor and threatened to target any patrols belonging to the SDF. The SDF were accused of attempting to eliminate Arab leaders within their ranks and imposing the dominance of Kurdish elements on the residents of the Governate's countryside.
Elders and prominent figures of Arab tribes in Deir Ezzor issued an official statement giving both the US-led coalition and the SDF a 12-hour ultimatum to release those detained and to lift the siege on families trapped in Al-Hasakah, threatening to declare general mobilization against the militants if their demands are not met by the deadline.
The statement demanded the cessation of the SDF's campaign against Arabs in Deir Ezzor, saying the tribes in the Governate are ready to target SDF forces and patrols wherever they may be.
Concurrently, tribes in the Al-Shheell town in eastern Deir Ezzor, which is in close proximity to the International Coalition occupation base in Al-Omar field, declared a general mobilization against the SDF, in response to the arrest of leaders of the Deir Ezzor Military Council.
Furthermore, tribes in Abriha have sent reinforcements to Al-Hrayjiyah as tensions with the SDF brew in the area.
SDF refuse to back down
The media center affiliated with the SDF issued a statement confirming that "SDF forces are dealing firmly with criminal elements in the town of Al-Aazba in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor who are engaged in criminal activities, deploying snipers, and closing down service institutions."
The SDF claim that the personnel it is fighting are drug smugglers and arms traffickers. It affirmed that its security operation will continue until its objectives to maintain security and stability in the region are achieved.
On Monday, gunmen armed with machine guns attacked two SDF checkpoints in the towns of Abu Hamam and Granij in the easter countryside of Deir Ezzor, making this the second day of clashes.
The attack took place in the same timeframe in which reinforcements from Al-Raqqa arrived in the industrial city of Deir Ezzor.
The clashes follow the SDF's arrest of Ahmad Abu Khawla, the head of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, who was lured to a senior meeting in the rural areas of Al-Hasakah and subsequently arrested by SDF personnel.
The SDF apprehended several leaders of the Deir Ezzor Military Council after raiding their homes in the Khasham and Al-Aziziyah neighborhoods in Al-Hasakah.
It's worth noting that the Deir Ezzor Military Council is closely aligned with Washington and was part of the SDF. Recently, Washington has attempted to reconcile the Council with the Ankara factions and Al-Tanaf factions by holding a meeting with them in Ankara, Turkey.
Read more: SDF launch operation in Deir Ezzor amid escalation in Al-Hasakah
