The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the restructuring of its Deir Ezzor Military Council, which it previously dissolved following clashes that erupted between it and the forces.
On Monday, October 21, the SDF announced via its official website that the council was restructured during meetings with military councils in Deir Ezzor, Hajin, al-Basira, al-Sour, al-Kasrah, al-Shaddadi, and al-Troziah.
Ayad Turki al-Khabeel (Abu Ali Fuladh) was appointed as the leader of the council, and new members were elected to its leadership, including Leilwa al-Abdallah, Nuri al-Khalil, Biritan Qamishlo, and Salim Derik.
According to the SDF, Turki al-Dari (Abu Laith Khasham) and Firas al-Dawood were elected to lead the al-Kasrah Military Council, while Abd al-Karim al-Fandi and Majid al-Sindi were chosen to lead the al-Sour Military Council, Ibrahim Jassim al-Asi and Izzeddin Ahmad Atallah were appointed to lead the Hajin Military Council, and Moussa al-Salah and Waddah al-Mushrif were appointed to lead the al-Basira Military Council.
SDF published photos showing the aforementioned leaders in the Deir Ezzor Military Council and other councils, most of whom were former leaders in the Deir Ezzor Military Council before its dissolution.
Most of the leaders named in the restructuring decision were arrested by the SDF along with the faction commander Ahmed al-Khabeel (who is still missing along with other leaders to this day), but they were later released.
According to information obtained by Enab Baladi earlier from leaders in the Deir Ezzor Military Council who attended meetings with SDF leaders aimed at restructuring, the negotiation process was unclear, as the SDF has long aimed to maintain the council as a mere facade, without real influence on the ground.
The sources at the time indicated that the local parties’ trust from the side of the council was not high in the representatives of the parent faction (SDF), but the presence of a coordinator from the International Coalition responsible for achieving results satisfying both parties is what the leaders of the council had hoped for.
On August 27, 2023, clashes broke out between the Deir Ezzor Military Council, supported by the tribes of the governorate, and the SDF, lasting for nearly a month, following the latter’s arrest of the council leader Ahmed al-Khabeel (Abu Khawla).
Three days after the clashes, the SDF announced the dismissal of al-Khabeel through a statement published on its official website, indicating that the decision was made after “complaints were submitted by the residents and people of Deir Ezzor against him.”
Ongoing exportation of tensions
In May, the SDF discussed, during a regular meeting of the components of its military council, the reports of the councils and military institutions under its authority, in addition to the military and field developments.
According to what was published by SDF’s media center, the Deir Ezzor Military Council attended and provided a report on the security movements of the regime in eastern Deir Ezzor.
From time to time, regime-backed groups launch attacks on SDF positions east of the Euphrates, and the regime has previously provided artillery cover during some attacks in the region, according to previous declarations by the SDF.
A month after the conclusion of the issues surrounding the military council in Deir Ezzor, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (the political umbrella for the SDF) issued on October 22, 2023, decisions aimed at reform consisting of 42 items, the most prominent of which is the restructuring of local, legislative, and executive councils and municipalities, and organizing the forces of internal security and the Deir Ezzor Military Council within a six-month period.
The deadline set by AANES expired, yet the SDF did not produce a new structure for the council until the announcement made today, a full year after the promises of restructuring.
Abu Khawla missing
More than a year has passed since the beginning of security events in Deir Ezzor governorate in eastern Syria, after the SDF arrested the leader of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, Ahmed al-Khabeel, or “Abu Khawla” as he is known in the governorate from which he hails.
The aftermath of al-Khabeel’s arrest led to a tribal uprising against the SDF, the effects of which the region is still dealing with today, as a military tribal coalition formed, unknown in composition and unannounced in affiliation, attacking SDF military bases and points daily, which the SDF accuses of receiving support from the Syrian regime and Iran.
Deir Ezzor saw rapid developments following al-Khabeel’s arrest, as security conditions worsened, after attacks on the military council that residents considered a tribal umbrella securing some of their rights, despite the violations attributed to al-Khabeel against the people of the region.
Some residents of the area, who Enab Baladi communicated with, believe that the absence of the military council has opened the door to the “domination” of the area’s authorities over its people.
The eastern and northern countryside of Deir Ezzor witnessed armed confrontations that lasted more than a month between fighters from the military council, supported by the Arab tribes, against the SDF, focusing on the northern and eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and ended with the SDF controlling the area.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that clashes at that time in northern and eastern Deir Ezzor between the SDF and local fighters resulted in 69 dead and 96 injured.
OCHA reported that the humanitarian situation in the affected areas is “tragic,” as hundreds of individuals suffer from a lack of water, food, infant formula, medicines, and energy supplies.
It noted that thousands of individuals, most of whom are women, children, and the elderly, crossed the Euphrates River to the areas controlled by the Syrian regime on the western bank to escape the ongoing battles east of the Euphrates.