SDF-controlled areas in March | Over 40 operations and attacks by ISIS…scores of arrests for various accusations…renewed military escalation on Ain Issa
Areas under the control of Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) experienced, in March 2021, scores of incidents of security disorder and violations against human rights. In this context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) have monitored and tracked all key developments in SDF-held areas in the previous month.
ISIS: ongoing operations and new messages
In March 2021, Islamic State’s escalating operations continued in areas under the control of SDF and the Autonomous Administration in north and north-east Syria region, especially with the recent ISIS resurgence. ISIS cells carried out several attacks and committed assassinations through various ways, including shooting, using sharp tools and planting IEDs and landmines throughout SDF-held areas. SOHR activists documented over 41 operations in March carried out by ISIS cells in SDF-held areas in Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah, Aleppo and Al-Raqqah, including attacks, gunfire and explosions.
According to SOHR statistics, the number of people killed in these operations during March reached 16. The breakdown of fatalities were as follows: five civilians and 36 members of SDF, Asayish Forces and the Self-Defence forces. Also, the operations in this period left tens of civilians and military personnel injured.
On March 3, SOHR activists said that two ISIS members of Iraqi nationality roamed, on a pick-up car, the neighbourhoods of the SDF-controlled city of Al-Busayrah in east Deir Ezzor countryside where they distributed money to widows of ISIS members, in a new message which clearly indicated that the “Islamic State” was alive and kicking.
While on March 30, SOHR activists in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor said that four masked gunmen roamed, on motorcycles, Ishreen street and the market of Al-Busayrah city. According to Syrian Observatory sources, the masked people were ISIS members and they roamed in the area brandishing their machine guns, which clearly indicated to the fact that “Islamic State is still alive”.
SOHR sources in Deir Ezzor reported on March 11 that eight members, including a female, withdrew from the newly established “Civil Council of the Central Region” which began its work two days earlier in the city of Al-Busayrah, which is under the control of Syria Democratic Forces in east Deir Ezzor countryside. The withdrawals hailed from the towns of Al-Shuhayl, Deban and the village of Al-Hawaij.
According to SOHR sources, the reasons behind the withdrawal were the current deteriorating security situation and escalating activities and operations of ISIS cells in east Euphrates region.
Scores arrested for “communicating with ISIS” and other charges
Syria Democratic Forces, backed by the National Coalition, launched intensive security campaigns in March in an attempt to put an end to escalating ISIS operations in Deir Ezzor and Al-Hasakah. According to SOHR statistics, 58 people were arrested during these campaigns in Deir Ezzor and Al-Hasakah for “dealing and communicating with ISIS cells”. It is worth noting that this statistic do not include the people arrested during the recent large-scale campaign in Al-Hawl camp.
SDF arrested other people for unknown reasons, and they also arrested a media activist for “criticizing the services and living conditions in Al-Baghouz town in Deir Ezzor and the Autonomous Administration and Coalition’s default”. The media activist was released after being detained for nine days.
On March 12. six members of an ISIS cell were killed in a security campaign by SDF-backed “HAT”, backed by International Coalition helicopters, in Hebat Al-Aid area in the northern desert of Deir Ezzor near Al-Suwar town. During the campaign, clashes with machineguns erupted between the SDF security forces and the members of the ISIS cells, which resulted in the death of the six members. SDF also managed to kill a member of an ISIS cell, on the same day, after storming his house in Al-Hajanah village in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. However, two other members managed to escape after clashes with machineguns.
As a part of their ongoing security campaign against corruption, SOHR sources reported that SDF arrested a former official in charge of logistical and ammunition supplies in Al-Darbasiyah city in northern Al-Hasakah, on the Syria-Turkey border.
Ain Issa, the capital of the Autonomous Administration: military escalation and unprecedented movements
Between March 10 and March 12, Ain Issa district in the northern countryside of Al-Raqqah experienced unprecedented movements by all military powers present there, as SOHR activists monitored the arrival of new reinforcement by regime forces to their bases in the 93rd Brigade in Ain Issa, including military vehicles, soldiers, weapons and ammunition.
Russian forces, however, conducted reconnaissance tours and sent military vehicles and soldiers to a military base, nearly four kilometres to the south of Ain Issa district. It is worth noting that this base had belonged to the International Coalition during its military operations against ISIS, then it was turned into a military academy of the Internal Security Forces “Asayish”, then regime forces stationed in it, before the Russians brought in military vehicles and soldiers in the past few days. It is expected that the Russians will be stationed in this base.
On the other hand, Turkish forces surrounded Ain Issa town, which is the “capital” of the “Autonomous Administration” of north and north-east Syria, by establishing bases round it.
According to Observatory sources, the Turks were working on establishing a fifth base in that area, as military and logistical reinforcement were brought in to the area with the aim to establish a base opposite the village of Al-Debs on the western frontline of Ain Issa.
It is worth noting that Turkish forces are stationed in following four bases and they are as follows:
- The first one is located in front of Ain Issa town, near the camp.
- The second is located in front of Jahbal village in eastern Ain Issa.
- The third is located in front of the petrol station in the west of Ain Issa.
- The fourth is located before the petrol station in the west of Ain Issa
While the fifth base was being established opposite the village of Debs.
On March 19, Turkish forces and their proxy factions unleashed a violent attack on Sayda village in Ain Issa countryside, as the residents of the villages were seen returning to their areas escorted by SDF and Russian forces, according to an agreement between the Russians and the Turks. However, Turkish forces and their proxies started to target the region with medium machineguns as soon as the residents arrived, which forced the residents to flee from the area, along with the withdrawal of the Russian forces. Fierce clashes erupted later and the Turkish forces and their proxy factions managed to advance into Sayda village. These clashes resulted in the death of a Turkish soldier and three Turkish-backed militiamen, while SDF lost five fighters.
Moreover, SOHR activists have documented the death of a child and a woman due to Turkish rocket attacks on Al-Hadariyat village in east Ain Issa countryside in northern Al-Raqqah. SOHR activists also documented the death of seven members of “Al-Raqqah Military Council” in an infiltration operation by the Turkish-backed faction of “Suleiman Shah”, headed by Mohamed Al-Jasim “Abu Amshah”. According to SOHR sources, a group of “Suleiman Shah” sneaked at night into Debes village, nearly four kilometres away from Ain Issa town in northern Al-Raqqah, with the help of agents of “Al-Raqqah Military Council”, where the group killed the seven members of “Al-Raqqah Military Council”, dragged their bodies and seized their weapons.
Mandatory conscription: popular anger and youth’s desire
The Self-Defence Forces and military police launched a large-scale security campaign in March in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration, driving young and adult males to mandatory conscription. The campaign resulted in the arrest of hundreds of people who were later driven to perform their military service. In Al-Raqqah, over 500 have been driven to compulsory military services which lasts for a whole year, after it had lasted for only six months previously. The Self-Defence command had issued a circular in February addressing young men who were born between 1990 and 2004, including employees, employers and civilians to fill out applications of the mandatory conscription. It is worth noting that patients, people with special needs, a family’s single son and sons of “martyrs” were excluded, while deferment of military services would be granted to special cases.
Since the beginning of March, hundreds of young men have joined the ranks of “Self-Defence Forces”, while a batch of 200 soldiers was graduated on Friday after undergoing a training course for 45 days. This batch would be driven to perform military service. On the other hand, popular discontent is growing over the mandatory conscription campaign, the intensive deployment of military patrols in the city’s streets, makeshift checkpoints, inspection and driving young people to mandatory conscription by force.
In Manbij, however, the Self-Defence Forces and military police deployed makeshift checkpoints and carried out security raids, arresting 450 young men indiscriminately taking them to security centres in order to check their ages. Everyone found under eighteen has been released, while the other young men of conscript age were taken to military camps.
According to SOHR sources, the security forces arrested the young men in a humiliating way and insulted everyone resisting, which ignited popular anger. Sources reported that several commanders of the campaign took bribes in return for releasing the arrested young men, as the bribes reached 500 USD each.
Decisions and crises
In March, “Autonomous Administration in northern and north-eastern Syria” canceled the temporary contracts of hundreds of officials in Deir Ezzor. This turning point coincided with calls by Deir Ezzor residents to secure job opportunities in all sectors. However, the Autonomous Administration’s decision deprives the province’s people from job opportunities and aimed to stall permitting financial allocations.
In Abu Hamam hospital, the financial office did not permit spending the financial allocations, after the stall of hospital’s administration. Moreover, the hospital’s administration rejected the number of employees announced about by the health commission in Deir Ezzor, which got the health commission into trouble after it announced the names of people passed the private contest it held. Accordingly, the commission would be forced to eliminate some names; this, in turn, would lead to a decline in the number of medical stuff in the hospital. The hospital’s administration also refused to employ guards in the hospital and it put Asayish Forces in charge.
Meanwhile, the city’s residents expressed their rejection of “militarizing the hospital”, as they described, especially since there were civilian guards who volunteered to guard the hospital for no salaries, waiting for permitting funds, so that they could continue working in the hospital.
Furthermore, the new decision refused to grant contracts to the guards in water purification stations in Al-Baghouz town, Al-Sha’fa and Al-Susah cities, at a time when the Autonomous Administration had promised these guards to grant them permanent contracts instead of the temporary contracts only after working for a few months without being given any money.
The Autonomous Administration also refused to appoint guards for schools in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, despite the ongoing strike by the region’s teachers one of whose demands is the appointment of guards for schools, especially after the prevalence of thefts in light of the security disorder in areas under the control of Syria Democratic Forces.
On the other hand, Areas of Deir ez-Zor countryside continue to suffer from the scarcity and pollution of drinking water, and the suffering of people in obtaining their needs in different ways. In this context, reliable sources have informed SOHR that the pumping of drinking water at al-Tanak and Abu Hammam stations in Deir ez-Zor countryside have been suspended for nearly a week, without knowing the reasons, where residents are forced to obtain drinking water through tanks at a price of 5,500 Syrian pounds, despite the fact that the water is polluted and undrinkable.
The residents of al-Kashma neighbourhood in al-Sha’afa town also suffer from a lack of a water station despite the existence of the drinking water system, as the water station doesn’t pump enough water to all neighbouring houses because of the population density in the town, forcing people to resort to the same costly primitive methods that increase their material losses and the chance of kidney disease and fever, which is spreading in the neighbourhoods relying on water tanks where demand has increased recently.
As drinking water crisis continues in Deir ez-Zor countryside, some resort to drilling artesian wells whose water undrinkable as well, or drawing water from the Euphrates River for domestic use through tanks, costing residents approximately 6,000 Syrian pounds per one water transport, and it is also contaminated like the rest of the water resources available in the region.
The suffering of the residents of al-Sama’a neighbourhood in the city of Al-Kishqiya in eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, has been going on for 10 years, with drinking water being cut off and contaminated, where residents of the neighbourhood have made several requests to the “Self-Administration” officials to solve the drinking water problem, but to no avail to date.
According to local sources, the replacement of the 1,500-meter-long pumping line from the main street will allow water to reach their homes, without receiving a clear response from water officials in the area.
Since the Turkish side began to reduce the amount of water flowing from Turkish territory to the Euphrates River inside Syria, nearly six months ago, the people and civil organizations have raised the alarm about the dangers of the environmental and humanitarian crises, which threaten the areas of northern and eastern Syria, and negatively affect the availability of drinking water, electricity, the agricultural sector, and cause drought.
In addition, the negative impact on livestock due to the low level of the Euphrates River passing through Syria. These warnings have been ignored by the Turkish side, which has continued to date to close the gates that allow the Euphrates waters to cross into Syria, resulting in a very significant drop in the water level.
According to Syrian Observatory sources, the Euphrates water level has decreased from 325.20 cubic meters to 320.70 cubic meters, with a decrease of more than 4 cubic meters. The decrease in water level resulted in the drinking water pumps being put out of service in most areas, and affected the fisheries and the food security in the region in general.
According to international agreements, the amount of water flowing in the Euphrates river must be between 500 to 550 cubic meters per second, however, the water currently received is 200 cubic meters per second, a quarter of the agreed quantity.
SOHR warns of a humanitarian and environmental disaster in northern and eastern Syria, and calls on the United Nations, humanitarian organizations and international actors to exert pressure on the Turkish government to adhere to international agreements regarding the quantities of water agreed to be supplied to the Syrian side.
Tribal fights
In March, SDF-held areas experienced several tribal fights, as on March 3, a tribal fight erupted in Al-Izbah area in SDF-held areas in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor following disagreement over the investment of an oil well in the region. The clashes resulted in the injury of several gunmen including a commander of “Deir Ezzor Military Council” of the conflicting tribes.
While on March 19, SOHR activists documented the death of a man and the injury of three others due to a family fight among people of Al-Kassar tribe in Al-Takihi village of the SDF-held town of Al-Shuhayl in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor for unknown reasons.
Also a man was killed due to a disagreement between two families evolved to armed fight, on March 30, in the SDF-held town of Gharanij in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor.