SDF shells last tribal-held town after days of east Syria unrest

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Days of deadly clashes in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province between Kurdish-led, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and local Arab fighters are culminating in a looming battle as the SDF attempt to retake the last town held by tribesmen, a war monitor said on Monday. 

Tensions in Arab-majority Deir ez-Zor province have surged for over a week after the SDF arrested Ahmed Khbeil, better known as Abu Khawla, commander of the SDF-linked Deir ez-Zor Military Council, and four of his colleagues, accusing him of collaborating with the Syrian government, drug trafficking, and failing to curb an increase of Islamic State (ISIS) activities in the area. 

The arrest triggered Arab fighters loyal to Khbeil to launch attacks on SDF-held territories in Deir ez-Zor, a province split by the Euphrates River with Iran-backed Syrian government forces in control of the west and Kurdish-led, US-backed forces holding the east. 

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a UK-based war monitor, said on Monday that fighters of the SDF have launched an offensive and began shelling Dhiban town, considered the last stronghold of local Arab fighters, after negotiations for their surrender failed.  

The town is being shelled from several fronts, with the SDF calling on civilians to leave as fighting ensues. 

The violence in Kurdish-controlled Deir ez-Zor since clashes erupted on August 27 has killed at least 71 people so far, including 39 local fighters, 23 SDF members, and nine civilians, while nearly a hundred have been injured, according to SOHR. 

According to the SDF, the clashes intensified when pro-government forces from the west of the Euphrates crossed into SDF-held territories to partake in the clashes and deepen unrest in the area. 

The SDF has rejected any accusations of disputes with Arab tribes, saying that the clashes are instead against collaborators of the Syrian government and “beneficiaries” of Khbeil, who profited from his alleged drug trafficking and mismanagement. 

Security in Kurdish-controlled areas in north and northeast Syria is managed through military councils led by locals to maintain the delicate balance of the region and prevent Arab discontent. 

On Friday, the SDF announced a 48-hour curfew to begin the following day to allow the force to comb the area and solidify security. 

On Sunday, US and Coalition officials met with the SDF and Arab tribal leaders in Deir ez-Zor province to urge de-escalation “as soon as possible,” the US Embassy in Syria said.