Syrian Army-Backed Tribal Forces Preparing to Drive US-Backed Kurdish Militias out of Deir Ezzur

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper quoted al-Baqer Division, which is under the auspices of tribal leader Sheikh al-Bokareh Nawaf al-Bashir, as saying that his forces are fully prepared to liberate the areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Eastern Syria.

It noted that the al-Baqer commander in a meeting with a Russian officer in Eastern Deir Ezzur has declared that his men are waiting for the Syrian Army Command’s order to launch military operations to take back the SDF-controlled regions.

He also reiterated that the tribes of Eastern Syria do not accept the occupation of Syrian territories by the US or Israel.

In a relevant development in early May, residents of Eastern Deir Ezzur had called on the Syrian government to return to the Eastern parts of the country to expel occupiers from the region as tensions had heightened between the SDF and the civilians.

The Arabic-language al-Watan newspaper reported that residents of different parts of Eastern Deir Ezzur had raised the demand in several contacts with the paper.

It underlined that residents of towns and villages of Deir Ezzur were highly dissatisfied with measures adopted by the occupying US forces and the SDF, including detentions, torture of civilians and seizure of the civilian properties.

The newspaper said that the occupied areas in Hasaka and Deir Ezzur did not enjoy even the minimum living standards, including electricity, adding that a large number of residents of the towns and villages in Eastern Deir Ezzur had been transferred to the Syrian army-controlled areas.

Meantime, residents of tens of towns and villages in Eastern Deir Ezzur had staged rallies in late May against the SDF’s vis-à-vis civilians and their hoarding of fuel and closed the roads, demanding their withdrawal from the region.