ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Armed groups affiliated to the Syrian regime on Monday attacked the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in country’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor weeks after similar attacks were foiled by the SDF. Several people were killed as a result of the fighting.
Clashes erupted between the SDF and a number of Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor late last month after the Kurdish-led force arrested one of the key members of these tribes, who was also a commander of the SDF, over several charges, including drug trafficking and coordinating with external entities.
SDF was able to retake all areas it had lost to these groups.
The SDF said in a statement on Monday that two pro-Damascus groups infiltrated into Dhiban town in Deir ez-Zor from the regime-held areas on the west bank of the Euphrates River after their “indiscriminate artillery shelling” against the SDF positions.
“Immediate security measures have been taken by our forces to establish stability and security in the area. They have facilitated the movement of civilians to safe zones in neighbouring villages, ensuring their safety and preventing the mercenary groups from using them in their terrorist acts either until the armed mercenary groups are eliminated or forced to surrender.,” read the statement.
The SDF is the main ally of the global coalition on the ground against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.
The US-backed force said on Monday a number of pro-regime fighters were killed and injured after the SDF surrounded them.
The SDF did not mention casualties among its ranks. However, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) head Rami Abdulrahman told Rudaw English that three SDF fighters, six members of local forces and a civilian woman were killed in the clashes. Six people, including two members of the pro-regime groups, were also injured.
“Throughout the clashes, a number of the armed groups were killed, and others sustained injuries, subsequently being transported to areas under the control of the Syrian regime on the western bank of the Euphrates River,” said the SDF in the statement.
The Arab-majority Deir ez-Zor province was where ISIS militants made their last stand and were territorially defeated. Control of the province, which borders Iraq, is now split between the SDF and the Syrian regime, with its Iranian backer. It is also home to many of the country’s key oilfields, such as Omar and Conoco, which the US-led global coalition against ISIS helps the SDF protect.
There is a history of tense relations between the Kurdish-led SDF and some Arab tribes in the province. Some anti-SDF groups have claimed that the Kurdish-led force is targeting Arabs, but the SDF rejected this.