“The recent developments in our homeland, Syria, pose a significant threat to the security of our people and the stability of our region in Deir ez-Zor. In particular, the resurgence of Turkish-backed mercenaries and ISIS [Islamic State] militants in the Deir ez-Zor desert presents a serious danger,” the SDF said in a statement.
“In response to this situation and to ensure the safety of our people, our fighters in the Deir ez-Zor Military Council have been deployed in the city and west of the Euphrates. Our primary objective is to safeguard our security and the well-being of our community,” it added.
The Deir ez-Zor Military Council is a local force affiliated with the SDF.
The deployment came after the reported withdrawal of the Syrian army and pro-Iran militias from these areas, as well as increased ISIS activities in the nearby deserts.
Reuters reported on Friday that the strategic al-Bukamal border crossing between Syria and Iraq also fell under the control of the SDF. This is a vital route for Iran to connect with its regional proxies.
Damascus has not confirmed the withdrawal of its troops from Deir ez-Zor.
Regime forces and their allies have used the territory west of the Euphrates to carry out attacks against the SDF, who are in control on the other side of the river.
Syria’s civil war was dramatically reignited last week when a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army. They quickly took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the most populated urban center in the country, and then advanced into the strategic central province of Hama, capturing the city on Thursday when the Syrian army announced its withdrawal.
Turkish-backed armed forces have also carried out attacks against Kurdish forces in the northwest.
ISIS appears to have taken advantage of the shift in focus to the north.
SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi told reporters on Friday that “there are increased activities of ISIS mercenaries in the Badia region, and the south, and east of Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa. There are movements and they have controlled some areas recently.”
He said that they are working with the United States-led global coalition to recapture these areas.
