SDF-held areas in July 2022 | 65 deaths in acts of violence…ten tribal and family…ongoing military escalation by Turkish forces…new popular protests

Areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), (SDF-held areas) experienced in July 2022 scores of incidents of security disorder and violations against human rights. In this context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has monitored and tracked all key developments in SDF-held areas in the past month.

 

 

Deaths in acts of violence 

 

SOHR documented the death of 65 people in July 2022 in light of the ongoing acts of violence in SDF-held areas. Here are further details of those deaths:

 

-25 civilians, including two women and eight children; they are as follows:

 

• Nine civilians, including a child, were murdered.

 

• Seven civilians, including a woman and five children, were killed by indiscriminate gunfire.

 

• Three civilians were killed in ground bombardment by Turkish forces.

 

• Three civilians, including a woman, were killed by members of ISIS cells.

 

• Two children were killed in the explosions of old ordnance.

 

• A civilian was killed in a Turkish drone attack.

 

 

-24 combatants:

 

• 13 fighters, including seven females, were killed in Turkish drone attacks.

 

• Five were killed by members of ISIS cells.

 

• Four, including a commander, were killed in an attack by an IED mounted on their car when it was in the area between the checkpoints of Ain Issa camp and Tel Al-Samn in the northern countryside of Al-Raqqah.

 

• Two were killed in clashes with smugglers.

 

 

-11 gunmen were killed in family and tribal infightings.

 

 

-Two ISIS members were killed by SDF and International Coalition Forces.

 

-Three regime soldiers:

 

• Two were killed by Turkish-backed factions.

 

• One was killed by Turkish bombardment.

 

 

Ongoing activity by ISIS cells

 

ISIS continued its operations in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration, where it carried out several armed attacks and assassinations through gunfire, attacks with sharp tools and planting IEDs and landmines.

 

The Syrian Observatory documented over nine operations, including armed attacks and explosions, carried out by ISIS cells in SDF-held areas in July 2022. According to SOHR statistics, these attacks left eight people: three civilians and six combatants, dead.

 

Meanwhile, Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the International Coalition, continued their large-scale security campaigns to eliminate ISIS and its cells and put an end to their activity in SDF-held areas, particularly in Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah and Al-Raqqah.

 

According to SOHR activists, anti-ISIS campaigns in July 2022 led to the arrest of 32 people for “communicating with and belonging to ISIS.” Also, two ISIS members were killed during a security operation by SDF and International Coalition Forces.

 

Moreover, SOHR documented, in July, the arrest of 18 people, including a doctor and six activists, among them were two young ladies, by security forces operating in areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration on various charges, as well as the arrest of tens of young people liable for mandatory conscription in the ranks of “Self-defence Forces.”

 

 

Ongoing public protests

 

In July, SDF-controlled areas experienced several protests by civilians against the deteriorating living conditions and violations by combatants. On July 4, tens of residents from Al-Busayrah city in the eastern countryside Deir Ezzor staged a demonstration on the city’s main road, protesting SDF arrest of civilians from the city, demanding the release of detainees in SDF prisons.

 

While on July 6, a popular demonstration took place in Abu Hamam town in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, where the demonstrators demanded International Coalition Forces hold accountable leaders of “Hajin Military Council” for blowing up civilian houses under the pretext that “these houses belonged to smugglers.” However, these practices comes under purely personal interests and those houses belonged to civilians who had nothing to do with smugglers, according to the demonstrators.

 

Also, on July 12, residents demonstrated near the SDF-controlled village of Karifaty, protesting poor services, deteriorating living conditions and frequent power cuts. The protestors blocked Aleppo-Al-Hasakah international highway (M4) in the part between Al-Ya’ribiyah border city and Al-Qamishly city, demanding improvement of services and their living conditions.

 

 

Dramatic escalation of tribal and family infightings

 

Also, in July, tribal and family infightings escalated dramatically in SDF-controlled areas, as Observatory activists documented ten bloody infightings: seven in Deir Ezzor, two in Manbij and one in Al-Raqqah, which left 11 people dead.

 

Furthermore, SOHR activists documented nine murder crimes in areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration in July, which left nine civilians, including a child, dead.

 

 

Ongoing military escalation by Turkish forces

 

Turkish military operations, including ground attacks and airstrikes by drones, were documented in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration on a daily basis in July. Specifically, SOHR sources reported bombardment with over 2,900 rockets and artillery shells fired by Turkish forces and their proxy factions over the past month, targeting different positions in Al-Hasakah, Al-Raqqah and Aleppo countryside, which killed three civilians at least.

 

In addition, SOHR activists documented nine attacks by Turkish drones which killed a civilian and 13 fighters, including seven females, and injured ten others.

 

 

Ongoing recruitment of children by “Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah”

 

“Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah” (the Revolutionary Youth) continues attracting and luring minors to serve in its military ranks, blatantly violating human rights and international resolutions that the Autonomous Administrations and Syria Democratic Forces have signed, while neither the residents’ demands to stop exploiting and recruiting children to military ranks nor the international charters managed to put an end to the recruitment of children by “Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah.”

 

In early July, “Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah” kidnapped a little girl in Al-Hasakah countryside, before another boy was kidnapped in the same countryside in late July.

 

On July 5, “Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah” also kidnapped a girls in Tel Rifaat area in the northern countryside of Aleppo.

 

 

We, at the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), call upon the authorities in SDF-held areas to fulfil people’s demands that call for the improvement of social and living conditions and not punish them for demanding their rights. We also call on the International Coalition and SDF to intensify their security campaigns against active and sleeping ISIS cells in various areas in east Euphrates to prevent the revival of ISIS which poses a threat to local, regional and international security.

 

SOHR calls upon the Autonomous Administration in north and east Syria, Syria Democratic Forces, and all relevant authorities to put an end to the ongoing violations by “Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah” (the Revolutionary Youth) in the east Euphrates region.