Tribal member of local council in Deir al-Zor assassinated
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A member of the Al-Shuhayl Civil Council in Deir al-Zor, Amlah al-Mohaisin, died from his injuries on Thursday after he was shot by unknown gunmen a day earlier.
Omar Abu Layla, the executive director of Deir ez Zor 24, confirmed the news on Twitter.
A bad news , my uncle did not survive the assassination last night in the town of Ash-Shaheil,eastern Deir Ezzor. He died!!
— Omar Abu Layla (@OALD24) October 8, 2020
I am wordless.
إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون ! pic.twitter.com/9SYoGwpim2
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and US-led Coalition announced the territorial defeat of the Islamic State in March 2019. However, regular sleeper cell attacks by the terrorist group persist in multiple liberated territories in what appears to be a deliberate campaign to destabilize the general area.
Deir al-Zor has consistently been one of the most unstable regions in areas under SDF control.
According to a monthly report by the Rojava Information Center published in early August, 79 percent of Islamic State attacks in July occurred in Deir al-Zor, while all those occurring outside the province were in either Raqqa or Manbij.
Moreover, unrest recently increased in Deir al-Zor after the assassination of tribal leaders in late July.
On Sept. 25, Lilwa Al-Abdullah, an SDF official, survived a fourth assassination attempt in Deir al-Zor.
Read More: Official from Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces survives assassination attempt
On Oct. 3, Shaikha Awad al-Allawi, a female member of Deir al-Zor’s internal security forces, was killed in Kesra.
“After the assassination of several tribal elders in Deir al-Zor countryside in August, the cells are now active again,” Abu Layla wrote in a Twitter thread on Wednesday.
“We do not know why the checkpoints have been removed recently from the eastern countryside. When they existed, assassinations decreased significantly.”
According to Abu Layla, Mohaisin was targeted by unknown sleeper cells “because he does not want to follow them.”
Abu Layla specifically blamed the Deir al-Zor military council and the “security problem” for the chaos in the region.
“If the intentions to establish security and stability [aren’t] translated into actions on the ground, particularly in Deir al-Zor, then we are heading toward a security and political disaster that will have serious consequences for civilians,” he concluded.
A Syrian working in US-led stabilization efforts, including in Deir al-Zor, told Kurdistan 24 that the security situation in the area remains poor, especially in the lower Middle Euphrates River Valley (MERV) and Khabour valley.
Our special security units arrests two members of #ISIS terrorest cells, in a security operation in #Deir_Ezzor countryside , in order of continuing of our forces steps to keep the safety of civilians and keep the stability of northern and eastern of #Syria and its contents . pic.twitter.com/ee1nmdu3cr
— Coordination & Military Ops Center - SDF (@cmoc_sdf) October 7, 2020
“Despite the intensive SDF-coalition operations, the ISIS sleeper cells remain active, and capable to conduct attacks,” he stated. “Not only ISIS, but other parties are undermining the areas security; Iranian-backed militias and members linked to Turkey-backed Ahrar al-Sharqiyah faction.”
The situation in the area “will continue to worsen” in the absence of a “commitment to the region that enhances long-term stability, undermine malign actions by various actors in addition to adequate humanitarian support,” he warned.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany