Corruption increases in the ranks of SDF through continued involvement of leaders and members in smuggling operations from east Euphrates area to regime forces’-controlled areas
The repercussions of the continuous smuggling between the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas and regime forces’-controlled areas in countryside of Deir Ezzor; continue to shed light and reveal the involvement of more figures within the Syria Democratic Forces in these smuggling operations, despite the operations by the Syria Democratic Forces and the Coalition to limit them, and their arrest of former leaders involved in the smuggling operation and arresting others for investigations, but sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory that the involvement of leaders and members of the Syria Democratic Forces continues through smuggling livestock and food, in addition to tankers of raw oil from the Syria Democratic Forces’ controlled areas in Deir Ezzor and al-Hasakah; to regime forces’-controlled areas, also columns of oil tankers and grain trucks come out on a daily basis and up to this moment from areas of the Autonomous Administration towards regime forces’-controlled areas such as Manbij crossing, it worth mentioning that the U.S. administration imposed sanctions on Iran and those who deal with it.
The Syrian Observatory published on the 18th of September 2019 that a group of the Syria Democratic Forces backed by the International Coalition, carried out a new campaign on the smuggling water crossings in Al-Shuhayl town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where 6 crossings prepared for smuggling from the SDF-held areas towards the regime controlled areas, have been detonated, also the Syrian Observatory learned that 3 citizen were hit by gunfire of the SDF during the today’s raid, and the SOHR published on the 11th of September 2019, that a number of locals have opened crossings between Al-Busayrah city which is under the control of the SDF and Al-Zbari village which is controlled by the regime forces in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and in this context, the Syrian Democratic Forces raided the area of the crossings and opened fire on the boats for the purpose of sabotaging them, then they closed the river crossings with the regime forces which a number of locals had opened.
And the Syrian Observatory published on the 10th of September 2019, that the Syria Democratic Forces arrested 2 of its leaders, they are a YPG leader and the other in the Deir Ezzor Military Council in al-Busayrah town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, on charges of corruption and managing the smuggling from the river crossings, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored on the 6th of September 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored a continuous public discontent after the Syria Democratic Forces released an oil investor who deals with the “Islamic State” organization, without any justification from leadership of the Syria Democratic Forces about the reasons of his release, where the investor is paying money for the Organization in exchange for them not get near his oil tanks, and the arrest did not exceed 48 hours, this comes at a time when the Autonomous Administration, Asayish, and the counter-terrorism have been arresting civilian activists in al-Raqqah city for nearly a month, without any condemnation amid information about handing them over to the International Coalition, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 4th of September 2019 that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that the Syria Democratic Forces released a person invests oil from the SDF about 48 hours after being arrested with the support of the International Coalition on charge of dealing with the “Islamic State” organization, in Al-Shuhayl town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, while the SOHR monitored heavy gunfire in the vicinity of the released person’s house celebrating his release, which resulted in the injury of 2 citizens one of them has seriously injured, and the SOHR published on the 2nd of September 2019, that the Syria Democratic Forces with support from warplanes of the Coalition, raided the home of a person invests oil from SDF from al-Tank field; and at the same time he pays royalties to the “Islamic State” Organization, where he was arrested from his home located in al-Shuhayl town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, also up to 100 million Syrian pounds were confiscated from the house, while gunfire was heard in the area during the raid caused by gunfire from the Syria Democratic Forces to prevent the citizens from leaving their homes, and the Syrian Observatory published this morning that a joint force of the Syria Democratic Forces and the International Coalition raided a house in Baghuz village in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor on Sunday evening, and arrested a former security personnel of the “Islamic State” organization along with 4 members of al-Bokamal Regiment of SDF who were involved with the security personnel, where this he had made a settlement with SDF after they took control of most of the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor at the time, but then it turned out that he is still connected to the Organization and its cells which are heavily present in the area, and it is worth mentioning that the Coalition tried to arrest this security personnel at the end of last Ramadan after raiding a house he lived in at al-Jerthi village east of Deir Ezzor, but he was able to escape, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that the popular discontent is increasing within areas of control of the Syria Democratic Forces east of Euphrates against the background of practices of the latter in light of the security campaign against ISIS cells, where sources of the Syrian Observatory reported that a force of the Syria Democratic Forces raided after midnight of yesterday al-Busayrah city in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and arrested 11 civilians, the sources added that the force arrested civilians from their homes after raiding and stealing large sums of money and gold, without accusing them with anything until the moment, which sparked anger of the civilians in the area after “confiscating” the private property of citizens and the arbitrary arrests; under the pretext of the security operation, and the Syrian Observatory published that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights learned that tens of residents of the villages of al-Izba and M’eizileh north of Deir Ezzor city carried out a demonstration on Saturday, the 24th of August 2019, against the Syria Democratic Forces demanding the return of cars detained by the customs department of the Self-Administration and the Syria Democratic Forces’ closure of Salhiya crossing with regime forces’-controlled areas, where rubber tires were burned and roads through it were closed, and the decisions of Self-Administration to close Salhiya crossing has increased smuggling activity to regime forces’-controlled areas, which disrupted the business of civilians who are working on vehicles that transport goods through the crossing which was closed.