SDF leader condemns targeting of commanders in Deir al-Zor
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Mazloum Abdi, the commander-in-chief of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has condemned attempts by unknown sleeper cells to target local commanders of the Deir al-Zor Military Council.
Abdi wrote in a tweet on Sunday that the attacks “bear the fingerprints of parties that do not want stability for the region” and aim “to destroy the efforts to counter terrorism and defeat” the so-called Islamic State.
“We affirm our commitment to pursuing terrorist cells that target the security and peace of our areas.”
The local North Press agency reported that on Saturday evening, an explosive device targeted the car of a commander in the Deir al-Zor Military Council, Ahmad Abu Khawla, in the Nashwa neighborhood, south of the city of Hasakah, in southeastern Syria.
Abu Khawla told North Press that the explosion did not cause any human casualties.
On Sept. 25, Lilwa Al-Abdullah, a senior SDF official in Deir al-Zor, survived an assassination attempt in the eastern Syrian province.
On Oct. 29, Khalid Hamadi, a member of the Deir al-Zor Civil Council, was killed when armed men opened fire on his car near the Sabha village. Hamadi’s brother was critically injured in the attack as well.
Read More: Official from Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces survives assassination attempt
Omar Abu Layla, the executive director of Deir ez Zor 24, told Kurdistan 24 he does not expect any group to claim responsibility for the attacks.
“The region is greatly infiltrated by the cells of Iran, Assad, and Da’esh, which requires a real and serious cleanup,” he said.
The SDF and the 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.
Moreover, sleeper cells from Iran, the Syrian regime, and Turkey have carried out attacks against the SDF and civilians working with the Kurdish-led forces in northeastern Syria.
Deir al-Zor has consistently been one of the most unstable regions in areas under the SDF’s control.
Unrest has recently increased in the region after the assassination of tribal leaders in late July.
Nicholas Heras of the Institute for the Study of War told Kurdistan 24 that the latest string of assassinations of important local leaders in Deir al-Zor “demonstrates that the Coalition and the SDF have not solved the security challenges” that remain persistent in the area.
The SDF and the US-led Coalition have held several meetings with tribal leaders in recent weeks to help de-escalate the situation.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany