US Officials Quickly Visit Syria to Defuse Arab Tribal Unrest
Remember when the blog told you about heavy equipment moving along the borders of Iraq and in Syria? We do not know if this article has anything to do with that movement. However, the US jumped on the issue of Arab Tribal unrest in Syria after an incident in Kirkuk in Northern Iraq this past weekend.
Senior U.S. officials visited Syria's eastern oil-rich Deir al Zor province on Sunday in an attempt to defuse an uprising by Arab tribes against Kurdish rule that is destabilizing northeast Syria, according to U.S. officials, security sources, and residents.
Hundreds of Arabs have been killed and dozens injured as a result of clashes between Kurdish YPG militias and Arab tribal groups. The militia forms the backbone of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and the uprising is the biggest threat to their rule since they finally drove Islamic State out of a swathe of the country's north and east in 2019.
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Syria Ethan Goldrich and Major General Joel B Vowell, who heads the coalition against Islamic State, met Arab tribal leaders and SDF commanders and agreed to "address local grievances" and "de-escalate violence as soon as possible and avoid casualties," according to the State Department.
The arrest of a renegade Arab commander by the SDF last month sparked unrest in a string of towns from Busayrah to Shuhail, in a strategic oil belt east of the Euphrates.
In the beginning, Arab tribal fighters drove out Kurdish-led forces from several large towns, but the SDF has begun to gain control.
In the SDF-run areas, U.S. military presence has checked the expansion of militias supported by Russia and Iran, who control areas west of the Euphrates River area. SDF officials claim these militias are leveraging internal divisions to expand their influence.
According to an SDF spokesman, Iran, and Damascus have sent tribal militias to create havoc in northeast Syria, where most of the nearly 900 U.S. troops are stationed.
Following the departure of Islamic State, Kurdish-led forces took control of Syria's biggest oil wells. Arab tribal leaders claim their areas are neglected in favor of Kurdish-majority areas.
Sheikh Mahmoud al Jarallah, a tribal leader, said, "We want them out of all of Deir al Zor. We want the area to be administered by the original Arab settlers.".
Kurdish leaders of the SDF deny discrimination against the primarily Arab population under their rule, blaming Islamic State remnants for intimidating locals.
It has pushed for Arab residents in SDF areas to have a greater say in running their affairs.
