Following the arrest of an allied Arab armed group leader and deadly clashes, Kurdish authorities in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province have imposed a curfew due to concerns about factions tied to Damascus government security services and suspected Daesh (Islamic State) cells.

Syria’s Kurdish-led authorities on Friday imposed a curfew in the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, days after the arrest of the chief of an allied Arab armed group prompted deadly clashes.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Sunday arrested the chief of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, a local Arab armed group affiliated with the Kurdish force, triggering clashes that have since left dozens dead.

The statement said armed groups affiliated with the Damascus government security services, as well as Daesh group cells, were attempting to “cause civil strife in the region and lure civilians into their dirty plans”.

Iran-backed Arab fighters had taken advantage of the clashes to cross over from the government-held part of the province into two Kurdish-controlled villages, Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, said.

The Iran-backed fighters had clashed with local Kurdish-led forces, with their leader publishing a video urging Arab tribes to turn against Kurdish authorities.

The United States called earlier on Friday for “all parties to de-escalate and peacefully resolve the situation”.

Smuggling activities

The US-backed SDF spearheaded the offensive that defeated Daesh’s self-declared caliphate in Syria in 2019. It controls a semi-autonomous Kurdish zone in Syria’s northeast, including large parts of the Deir Ezzor province.

The reasons for the arrest of the head of the Deir Ezzor Military Council, Ahmad al-Khabil, also known as Abu Khawla, have not been disclosed.

But the Observatory and a local activist told AFP that he was known to run highly lucrative smuggling activities.

54 people have been killed since the clashes broke out Sunday, mostly supporters of Khabil and SDF members, but also six civilians, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Katrine Dige Houmøller, with AFP