Arab tribes in Deir ez-Zor declare their readiness to rise up again against PKK/YPG terror group

By Esref Musa and Mehmet Burak Karacaoglu

DEIR EZ-ZOR, Syria (AA) – Arab tribes in Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor province said they are ready to resume the uprising they had temporarily ceased.

In a post on social media, Ibrahim al-Hafil, leader of the Akidat tribe, who is leading the Arab tribes’ uprising against the PKK/YPG terrorists, voiced their readiness for a new uprising.

He said they had temporarily suspended the uprisings due to negotiations with US-led coalition forces in the Iraqi city of Erbil.

During operations from Aug. 27 to Sept. 13 of this year, Arab tribes were able to clear about 33 villages of terrorists in the provinces of Deir ez-Zor, Raqqa, Al-Hasakah, and areas in Manbij and Aleppo.

The tribal forces, however, later withdrew from the villages to prevent civilian casualties from YPG/PKK attacks and agreed to negotiate with US forces, who served as mediators in the region.

Calling on young members of Arab tribes aligned with the terrorist organization PKK/YPG to break away, al-Hafil underlined that the terror group will face the Arab tribes’ wrath in the coming days.

“All fronts will burn until victory. There is no place for the organization here," he vowed.

Deir ez-Zor, located on the Syria-Iraq border, serves as a key city, providing a land route from Iran to Lebanon. Oil pipelines and trade routes from Iraq and Jordan also pass through the city.

After the withdrawal of Daesh/ISIS in Nov. 2017, Deir ez-Zor city and its western parts came under the control of the Syrian regime with the support of Iran-backed groups and Russia.

Iran-backed foreign terrorist groups have a significant presence in Deir ez-Zor, becoming a formidable ground force for the Syrian regime.

Members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command groups of fighters of Iranian, Iraqi, Lebanese, Afghan, and Pakistani origin in Deir ez-Zor, which is home to Sunni Arab communities.

The territory of Deir ez-Zor east of the Euphrates River is under the control of the US-backed terrorist organization PKK/YPG.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Türkiye, the PKK – listed as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for the deaths of more than 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants.

The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

* Writing by Seda Sevencan