The SDF is known to rule the territories it occupies with an iron fist, brooking no opposition [Getty]
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a series of raids across the eastern countryside of Deir az-Zour on Wednesday, targeting the homes of several young men who had joined the ranks of the new Syrian army.
This comes despite the agreement signed on Monday between Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi to integrate the Kurdish-led and US-supported forces into state institutions.
Deir az-Zour activist Wissam Al-Okaidi told The New Arab’s Arabic sister outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that clashes broke out between local residents and members of an SDF patrol after they raided the homes of Syrian army fighters.
These fighters had crossed from the Badiyat Al-Shamiyah – an area controlled by government forces – into SDF-controlled territories in Badiyat Al-Jazira, via the banks of the Euphrates River, without prior coordination with Kurdish forces.
Al-Okaidi pointed out that the raids targeted the homes of fighters in the town of Al-Kishkiyah, as well as the homes in the town of Abu Hamam in eastern Deir az-Zour. There is no information indicating that the SDF succeeded in arresting the men, suggesting that the operation failed to achieve its objective.Â
Deir az-Zour is a Syrian Arab majority province that was initially held by Syrian rebels before their forces were overwhelmed by both Assad regime forces and the Islamic State group (IS). In 2017, Assad’s Iranian-led forces took over most of the province with Russian air support, while the SDF, under the cover of US bombing, seized the rest.
Millions of mostly Syrian Arabs were displaced from the province at this time.
After the 2024 Syrian rebel offensive that led to the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s dynastic regime, the province is roughly equally split by the Euphrates River, with the Syrian interim government controlling the southwest bank of the territory, while the SDF administers the northeast side. Â
The raids come just days after the signing of an integration agreement between the Syrian government and the SDF, which will see the territories occupied by the Kurdish-led group come under Damascus’s control and the eventual integration of its military forces into the Syrian army.Â
The cities of Deir az-Zour, Raqqa, and Hassakeh witnessed widespread popular celebrations in support of the agreement, prompting the SDF, which is known to rule with an iron fist, to launch a new campaign of raids targeting participants in these celebrations.
Prior to the signing of the agreement, the SDF carried out widespread and systematic arrest campaigns in the countryside of Deir az-Zour, Raqqa, and Hassakeh on charges related to collaborating with the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army, as well as politically motivated accusations of involvement with IS.
This has raised concern that the SDF may continue to detain people to strengthen its security and political control in the areas under its influence.
However, the moves by the SDF also come as Turkey announced on Wednesday that operations by its armed forces against Kurdish militants in northern Syria are continuing, despite Ankara welcoming the integration agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government.
The official did not provide details on the location of the operations.
Ankara views the SDF, which controls much of northeast Syria, as terrorists linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, and has carried out several cross-border incursions against them.
