A war monitoring organization reported on Tuesday, August 29, that clashes in northeastern Syria, an area controlled by the Kurds and backed by the United States, resulted in the deaths of twenty-two individuals. These clashes occurred between US-backed fighters and members of an affiliated group, whose leader had been arrested.
Twenty-two people including three civilians have died in clashes in Kurdish-held northeastern Syria between US-backed fighters and members of an affiliated group whose leader was arrested, a war monitor said Tuesday.
The US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF spearheaded the battle that dislodged Islamic State group fighters from the last scraps of territory they controlled in Syria in 2019.
The affiliated group, the Deir Ezzor Military Council, is led by Ahmad al-Khabil, also known as Abu Khawla, who was arrested in the city of Hasakeh late Sunday, the Observatory said.
The move sparked tensions that deteriorated into clashes after gunmen attacked SDF positions, added the Britain-based Observatory, which has a network of sources inside Syria.
The charges against Khabil were not immediately clear. However, the Observatory and an activist told press agencies he was known to have been involved in smuggling and had amassed considerable wealth over the years.
The Deir Ezzor Military Council, one of several Arab groups affiliated with the SDF, is responsible for security in parts of Arab-majority Deir Ezzor province.
Swathes of the province are part of a semi-autonomous administration in north and northeast Syria that the Kurds carved out following the defeat of IS.
The Kurds administer the area through local civilian and military councils in an effort to stave off any Arab discontent.
Khalil Wakim, with AFP
