Deir Ezzor – Obadah al-Sheikh

The military tower project, which the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began constructing last year, has deprived local farmers who own agricultural land near the banks of the Euphrates River from utilizing their lands.

The towers were built by the SDF as part of a security plan to monitor both banks of the river, where smuggling and infiltration activities are rampant, and came after the SDF’s conflict with tribal fighters accused of alignment with the regime and receiving support from Iran in mid-last year (2023).

The towers are located on the western bank of the river, ranging in height from eight to 15 meters along its length, starting from the town of al-Jarzat in western Deir Ezzor to al-Baghouz in the far eastern countryside of the governorate.

Farmers interviewed by Enab Baladi who own agricultural lands on the eastern bank of the river complained about their inability to work their lands due to the SDF’s security activities in the area.

Seizure without compensation

Samer Naaman hails from the village of Jadid Bakara in eastern Deir Ezzor. He is a farmer who owns three dunams of agricultural land, which he lost to the SDF and International Coalition Forces in the region.

Naaman told Enab Baladi that the price of his land is approximately $24,000, and he has not received any compensation from any party for his loss, despite filing a complaint with the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria – AANES (the political umbrella of the SDF).

He added that when he went to file a complaint, he was informed that the towers are being constructed by the International Coalition, and attempting to object to this could expose the owner to prosecution and accusations of collaborating with regime-affiliated militants.

For his part, Abdel Mizzer, a farmer from the town of Dhiban in northern Deir Ezzor, said that a security official in the SDF attempted to mediate to help him retrieve his land, which spans 35 dunams, but to no avail.

Abdel Mizzer has not received any compensation and estimated his loss at over $20,000 since last year, having lost the cotton and wheat harvests.

Now, Abdel Mizzer merely watches his land from a distance, being unable to cultivate it for fear of being targeted, stating that the presence of the towers has turned his land into a military zone.

Ineffective judiciary

Farmers whose agricultural lands were seized by the SDF to build the towers submitted a lawsuit before the al-Kasrah court seeking compensation or the return of their lands, but those farmers interviewed by Enab Baladi reported that they have not reached any resolution.

An attorney representing one of the farmers in al-Kasrah court told Enab Baladi that for nearly a year, none of the farmers have received any response, except for continuous postponements of the verdict in the court.

The attorney, who requested anonymity due to security concerns, added that leaders from the SDF stated in their testimony that the SDF has not compensated any of the affected individuals because the project is overseen by the International Coalition, and the choice of lands is made by the Coalition.

Enab Baladi did not receive a response to the questions it posed to the Operation Inherent Resolve headquarters affiliated with the International Coalition up to the moment this report was published.

What are the watchtowers?

At the end of last year, the SDF launched a project to build new military points in the form of towers, ranging in height from eight to 15 meters along the Euphrates River, starting from the town of al-Jarzat in western Deir Ezzor to al-Baghouz in the far eastern countryside of the governorate.

The intensified military presence on the banks of the Euphrates River started in mid-2023, following armed attacks launched by local Arab tribes against its forces in Deir Ezzor, accusing the regime of supporting militia fighters in the region.

In the village of Jadid Bakara, the SDF began constructing the first military points in the form of concrete towers, with planning and oversight from the International Coalition led by the United States in Syria and Iraq.

The SDF intends to complete the construction of these military points, with plans to connect some of them through tunnels, according to information obtained by Enab Baladi from military sources within the SDF related to the project itself.

A responsible official in the Military Construction division of the SDF (who requested anonymity for security reasons) spoke to Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Deir Ezzor previously, mentioning that the project “resembles border planning for AANES from the Deir Ezzor side” as a first step, and the SDF will work on similar plans in other cities such as Raqqa and Manbij.