SDF-held areas in October 2022 | Nearly 42 deaths in acts of violence…22 attacks by ISIS cells…nearly 20 infightings and crimes…escalating protests

Areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), (SDF-held areas) experienced in October 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 42 people in October 2022 in light of the ongoing acts of violence in SDF-held areas. Here are further details of those deaths:

 

-18 civilians, including three woman and two children; they are as follows:

 

• Eight people were killed by ISIS cells.

 

• A man, a little boy and a little girl were killed in indiscriminate gunfire during tribal infightings.

 

• Seven people, including three women, were murdered.

 

• A civilian was killed by the explosion of a motorcycle-bomb.

 

• A civilian was killed by the explosion of old ordnance.

 

 

-11 combatants:

 

• Four killed by Turkish airstrikes.

 

• Three killed by ISIS.

 

• Two killed by Asayish forces.

 

• One killed in Turkish bombardment.

 

• One killed by mistake by another combatant.

 

-11 gunmen were killed in family and tribal fights.

 

-Two regime soldiers were killed in Turkish bombardment.

 

 

Escalating activity by ISIS cells met by large-scale security campaigns

 

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 22 operations, including armed attacks and explosions, carried out by ISIS cells in SDF-held areas in October 2022. According to SOHR statistics, these attacks left 11 people: eight civilians and three combatants, dead.

 

Meanwhile, Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the International Coalition, continued their large-scale security campaigns to curb the escalating activity by the organisation and its affiliated cells in SDF-held areas, particularly in Deir Ezzor, Al-Hasakah and Al-Raqqah.

 

According to SOHR activists, anti-ISIS campaigns in October 2022 led to the arrest of 38 people for “communicating with and belonging to ISIS.”

 

Moreover, military forces arrested nearly 79 people in SDF-controlled areas in the past month, some for unknown reasons.

 

 

Escalating public protests

 

Also, in October, SOHR documented over nine protests in SDF-controlled areas against the catastrophic living and educational situations, as well as poor services and frequent violations.

 

On October 4, residents staged protests in Muhaymidah town in west Deir Ezzor countryside, demanding the release of two members of the “organised crime” service who were arrested by the security forces, on October 2 for unknown reasons.

 

On that day, several teachers of the educational centre of Gharanij town in east Deir Ezzor countryside participated in a sit-in protest, demanding the reconstruction of the stuff of the directorate of education in Deir Ezzor, holding accountable corrupt officials and salary increase. According to reliable SOHR sources, the protestors also demanded payment of maternity salaries for the past year and to allocate a transportation allowance for teachers who were appointed in schools outside their areas, as well as hiring guards in schools, hiring teachers to compensate the few number of teachers and instructing humanitarian organisations to support education in Deir Ezzor.

 

While on October 9, many teachers at the Al-Soussah educational complex in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor staged a protest, demanding their salaries be increased and be delivered in US dollars instead of Syrian pounds, identifying that the salary must be over 200 USD. According to SOHR activists, the teachers also demanded more teachers be hired due to the density of student numbers and guards be appointed to protect schools from thefts and looting, maternity entitlement salaries and compensation to teachers be paid and increase the number of organisations providing support to education. The protestors also called for reconstructing destroyed schools, applying the Teachers’ Law, activating the role of the Teachers’ Union and its role in order not to be confined to deducting an amount from the teachers’ salaries, providing appropriate educational support, including equipment and stationery items.

 

Also, on October 10, teachers in the SDF-controlled town of Theban in east Deir Ezzor countryside staged a vigil to express their solidarity with other educational centres in Deir Ezzor countryside. The teachers called upon the Education Committee to increase teachers’ salaries, pay the salaries in US dollar, improve the education sector, activate teachers’ unions, allow organisations to operate in the educational sector and appoint school guards.

 

On October 19, many teachers of the Euphrates educational complex in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor staged protests, calling for improving the living conditions of teachers, increasing monthly salaries and paying teachers’ salaries in US dollar as the Syrian pound plummets against the US dollar and appointing school guards.

 

Two days later, October 21, public protests erupted in the areas of Hawayij Al-Bo Sam’a, Muhaymidah and Al-Kebar and the villages of Al-Hamish, Al-Hesan, and Jazarat Al-Boshams in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor, during which the demonstrators protested the poor living conditions and called for decreasing fuel prices.

 

Similarly, on October 24, dozens of the residents of the towns and villages in Hawaij Bomusma‘a, Hawaij Dhiab, and Muhaymidah in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor took part in popular protests demanding improvement of living and service conditions. The protestors set tyres on fire, blocking the roads.

 

On the same day, several teachers of Euphrates educational complex and civilians in Abu Hamam town in eastern Deir Ezzor countryside staged a vigil in front of the People Municipality, denouncing the decision of the “Autonomous Administration” to ban the wearing of “niqab” inside schools. The protestors also renewed their demands to raise salaries, activate the Workers’ Law, improve economic and living conditions, and hold the corrupt officials accountable. The demonstrators expressed their solidarity with the protests that took place on that day in villages in the western countryside of Deir Ezzor.

 

On October 25, a strike started by educational staff in Manbij schools and countryside for the third consecutive day, as teachers protested the suspension of salaries. The protestors demanded an increase in their monthly salaries in light of the dire living conditions, threatening to escalate and continue the strike and disrupt the educational process if their demands are not fulfilled. This coincided with the marginalisation of education by the “Autonomous Administration” and corruption prevailing in the education institutions and committees of the Deir Ezzor Civil Council.

 

On the other hand, SOHR sources reported, on October 6, that a large number of families living in areas controlled by Syria Democratic Forces are struggling with dreadful living conditions along with the ongoing freefall of the Syrian lira against the US dollar, as the Syrian pound against the US dollar has recorded 5,000 SYL. Meanwhile, the monthly salaries of employees working for the Autonomous Administration have been decreased to 100 USD.

 

In this context, SOHR activists have reported that the Syrian currency plunge has led to considerable increase in the prices of most of food stuffs and basic products; this, in turn, has led to a state of recession in markets, especially since merchants sell most of their products in the US dollar, or equivalent amount in Syrian pound.

 

One example, among many, a teacher in SDF-controlled areas gets a monthly salary of 260,000 SYP, equivalent to 52 USD, according to SOHR sources. Accordingly, most of the teachers have found themselves obligated to work for an additional shift in order to be able to secure their needs and pay their dues, including rental fees and expenses of water and electricity services.

 

On the other hand, civilians who own trucks have complained of the high cost of repairing their trucks on industrial markets, as they have to pay in US dollar; this have forced many to leave their trucks unrepaired untile they are able to secure the required money.

 

According to SOHR sources, all employees and workers in institutions of the Autonomous Administration deal in US dollar on markets, although they receive their salaries in the Syrian currency. Some sources of the Autonomous Administration justified the delivery of salaries in the Syrian pound to the efforts exerted to supporting the value of the Syrian currency against the US dollar.

 

In light of the skyrocketing prices and ongoing freefall of the Syrian currency, Syrian civilians find themselves forced to follow a austere pattern of consumption in their daily life, so that they can secure their essentials.

 

 

Escalating security chaos: Scores of infightings and murder crimes

 

, Observatory activists documented 14 family and tribal infightings in October in SDF-controlled areas: 11 in Deir Ezzor, two in Al-Raqqah, one in Aleppo. These infightings left three civilians, including a little boy and a little girl, and 11 gunmen dead.

 

Furthermore, SOHR activists documented five murder crimes in areas controlled by the Autonomous Administration in the past month, which left five civilians, including three women, dead.

 

 

Escalating Turkish strikes

 

Turkish military operations, mainly ground bombardment, were documented in areas under the control of the Autonomous Administration on a daily basis in October. Specifically, SOHR sources reported bombardment with hundreds of 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 two regime soldiers and an SDF fighter.

 

In addition, SOHR activists documented three attacks by Turkish drones which killed three combatants and injured five others. Also a commander of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) died of the wounds he had sustained in an airstrike on September 26.

 

 

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 late October, “Al-Shabiba Al-Thawriyah” kidnapped a 15-year-old girl in Al-Malikiyah area (Dayrek) in Al-Hasakah province.

 

 

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.