SDF Regains Control Over Major Towns in Deir Ezzor’s Eastern Countryside

Turkish-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Turkish-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
TT

SDF Regains Control Over Major Towns in Deir Ezzor’s Eastern Countryside

Turkish-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)
Turkish-backed fighters are positioned on the Mahsali and Arab Hasan frontline on the outskirts of Manbij in northeastern Syria as they fight with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), on September 4, 2023. (Photo by Rami al SAYED / AFP)

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) regained control over al-Busayra and the largest part of the al-Shuhayel district and imposed a security cordon on Dhiban and al-Hawaij towns.

The towns, on the bed of the Euphrates River in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor in the east of Syria, are among the largest cities that have witnessed heavy clashes between Arab tribes' militants and fighters who withdrew from the Deir Ezzor Military Council against the SDF forces.

A US-led international coalition against ISIS terrorists supports the SDF.

A senior SDF military official said they held a "positive" meeting with US officials and the commander of the international coalition forces in the presence of Arab tribal sheikhs and elders.

The meeting addressed the situation in the Deir Ezzor countryside and foreign interventions, provided that military operations continue to comb the area and pursue armed groups.

The SDF pushed more reinforcements to the areas that witnessed armed clashes in eastern Syria.

SDF media official Farhad Shami said that the residents of these areas appealed to the Forces to rid them of the armed groups who have wreaked havoc over the past few days in the region.

Shami told Asharq Al-Awsat that the SDF has begun to shift the battles in their favor, calling on the residents to abide by the curfew, and asserting they will hold those responsible for bloodshed accountable for their crimes.

Shami confirmed that the forces are combing the areas surrounding Dhiban, noting that tensions were limited to five towns and 25 villages out of dozens of cities and more than 100 villages in the region.

The areas that witnessed violent armed clashes are among the wealthiest oil areas in Syria, and 900 US soldiers and dozens of foreign forces are deployed as part of their combat missions in fighting ISIS terrorists.

Several areas of the Deir Ezzor’s countryside witnessed violent armed clashes that broke out after the SDF forces removed the leader of the Military Council, Ahmed al-Khabil, last month.

He was arrested on charges of corruption and drug trafficking, which sparked tension between the region's tribesmen that later turned into armed clashes, killing over 50 civilians and soldiers.

Earlier, the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Syria, Ethan Goldrich, and Major General Joel Vowell, who heads the coalition against ISIS, met Arab tribal leaders and SDF commanders and agreed to "address local grievances" and "de-escalate violence as soon as possible and avoid casualties."



Türkiye, Iraq to Hold New Round of Security Talks in Ankara, Source Says 

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan give a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan give a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
TT

Türkiye, Iraq to Hold New Round of Security Talks in Ankara, Source Says 

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan give a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)
Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani (R) and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan give a joint statement to the media in Baghdad, Iraq, April 22, 2024. (Reuters)

Senior Turkish and Iraqi officials will hold high-level talks in Ankara on Thursday to develop cooperation on security issues, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Wednesday.

The neighbors have in recent years been at loggerheads over Ankara's cross-border military operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants based in northern Iraq's mountainous region.

Iraq has said the operations are a violation of its sovereignty, but Ankara says they are needed to protect itself.

Ties have improved since last year, when the two sides agreed to hold high-level talks on security matters, and after a visit in April by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Baghdad, where he said relations had entered a new phase.

Ankara and Baghdad have so far held three rounds of meetings as part of the dialogue mechanism, with Iraq deciding to label the PKK a "banned organization in Iraq" during the latest talks held in March -- a move welcomed by Türkiye.

The Turkish source said Thursday's encounter would mark the first meeting of a "Joint Planning Group", which was decided during Erdogan's trip and is headed by the respective foreign ministers.

Talks would also take place to put their cooperation within an institutional and sustainable framework, the source added, saying the delegations would discuss the implementation of 27 agreements signed during Erdogan's visit, and evaluate further joint initiatives.

On Monday, Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler told Reuters that the recent steps taken by Türkiye and Iraq in terms of counter-terrorism marked a "turning point", adding the technical work on establishing a joint operations center for the region was ongoing.

Guler also said Türkiye’s cross-border operations in northern Iraq would continue until "the name of terror is wiped out from this region", adding that Ankara expected Baghdad to label the PKK a terrorist organization as soon as possible.

The PKK, which has been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.