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Violent fighting between Kurdish forces backed by the United States and local Arab fighters has gripped the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor since August 27. A total of 71 people died in just one week of the fighting, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on September 4. Our Observer says that these clashes are the result of brewing frustration among the majority Arab population about the violence carried out by the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces.
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Back in 2015, a number of ethnic militias and rebel groups in Syria joined forces to fight the Islamic State (IS) group, calling their new coalition the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and receiving backing from the United States and its allies. The members of the SDF were also united in their opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. Later, Arab Sunni fighters, recruited from Bedouin tribes, also joined the group.
On August 27, the SDF arrested Ahmad al-Khabil (nicknamed Abu Khawlah), the head of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, an armed Syrian group that, up until very recently, actually had been linked to the SDF.
The SDF accuses Al-Khabil – who is from one of the most influential tribes in the area, the Al-Uqaidat – of corruption and drug trafficking. After his arrest, his followers launched attacks on the SDF, hoping to drive them out of Deir Ezzor.
Zain al-Abidin lives in Deir Ezzor and often tweets analysis about the situation there.
At first, the population didn’t have a problem with Al-Khabil’s arrest because, locally, he is feared and hated.
But the situation changed rapidly after a member of Al-Khabil’s tribe, the Al-Bukayir [Editor’s note: a branch of Al-Uqaidat], stood up to the SDF.
– في الفيديو عدد من مقاتلي عشيرة البكير ــ العگيدات، يتحدثون أمام…
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