Despite SDF’s security campaigns, smuggling stepped up via water crossings between the regime’s areas of influence and the SDF-held areas in Deir Ezzor province

Deir Ezzor Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: smuggling has been still continuing between the controlled areas of the regime forces and those ones of Syria Democratic Forces via river crossings in Deir Ezzor province, despite the security campaigns carried out by SDF every now and then.

Recently, the area witnessed an increase in the number of water crossings used for smuggling, where fertilizers and cement are being transported from the regime forces’ controlled areas to SDF’s controlled areas, while grains, crude oil, locally filtered gasoline and supplies are being transported from SDF-held areas to areas under control of the regime, while hundreds of people work in these water crossings as guards and workers.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on December 2, that a security force of “Syria Democratic Forces” raided the river crossings used for smuggling from “SDF” areas in al-Tayyana and Shnan in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and according to the Syrian Observatory, SDF confiscated “fuel” pumps and opened fire on the ferries with the intention of destroying them.

The Syrian Observatory noted on the 20th of November 2019 that a military force of the “SDF” raided river crossings used for smuggling between their controlled areas, and regime forces’-controlled areas in Thiban town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, and according to sources of the Syrian Observatory, clashes with light weapons took place between the “SDF” against some smugglers in the area, also “SDF” members destroyed the river boats which are used for smuggling.

Lens of SOHR documents the cement smuggling from the controlled areas of the regime forces to SDF-held areas in Al-Shuhayl town east of Deir Ezzor