Deir Ezzor ... From black era to organization, serious action - 3

Deir Ezzor suffered from a black era after ISIS took control of it and committed massacres against its people, especially from al-Shaitat clan, but the sun of freedom shone in the sky of its eastern and western countryside after the Syrian Democratic Forces liberated it from ISIS.

30 January, 2021 00:47

NEWS DESK - AKRAM BARAKAT

After four years of injustice, the sun of freedom shines in Deir Ezzor

After the almost complete control of ISIS mercenaries on Deir Ezzor in mid-2014, some groups tried to stand against ISIS, such as the Revolutionary Commandos in Al-Bukamal, and branches from al-Shaitat clan of al-Aqeedat tribe in al-Mayadeen; however, ISIS violently repressed all those who stood against it, especially after it took control of the Iraqi city of Mosul, and transferred all heavy weapons, tanks, armored cars and anti-aircraft guns that it had taken over from the Iraqi army to Deir Ezzor.

ISIS used all kinds of heavy weapons to suppress all factions and armed groups that were present in Deir Ezzor after they cooperated with it in order to control the city, including the mercenaries of Jabhet al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham.

In a final attempt, the local clans in Deir Ezzor formed the so-called " Shura Mujahideen Council" to stand up to ISIS, but this council was unable to do anything. Thus, the clans submitted to the influence of ISIS, and the era of arrests and liquidation of opponents began.

Al-Shaitat massacre

To intimidate the tribes of Deir Ezzor, ISIS mercenaries executed in August 2014 more than 700 people from al-Shaitat tribe in Deir Ezzor city, imprisoned hundreds, and accused the clan of fighting it, confronting its influence, and ended up displacing the remaining members of the tribe. Then, ISIS extended its control over the oil sources and the eastern region of Syria, and connected it to the Iraqi city of Mosul.

After ISIS extended its control over Deir Ezzor governorate, it seized the clans' weapons, and according to some sources, the mercenaries confiscated more than 20,000 light and medium weapons.

During this period, factions of some of Deir Ezzor tribes joined the ranks of ISIS, while others sought to mobilize against them, especially al-Shaitat clan.

The regime abandons clans' members, and ISIS favors some over others

Deir Ezzor countryside fell completely at the hands of ISIS mercenaries, but the city did not completely fall into their hands, so the Damascus government forces gathered some of the bourgeois clan sheikhs supporting them in several neighborhoods containing security squares, such as the neighborhoods of al-Joura, al-Qusour, Harabish, al-Beghliya and Deir Ezzor Military Airport, leaving other tribesmen to face their fate, and this is what prompted some clans to form armed groups to defend themselves, such as al-Shaitat clan that formed Liwa Suqur al-Furat (Falcons of the Euphrates Brigade).

At the same time, ISIS used a policy of carrot-and-stick against Deir Ezzor clans, granted material and moral privileges to some at the expense of others, and liquidated prisoners and detainees of the clans at the hand of tribal affiliates into its ranks, and it also recruited thousands of its youth to fight, especially during its attacks on Kobane city at the end of 2014.

On September 12, 2016, the first day of Eid al-Adha, ISIS mercenaries published a video showing mercenaries slaughtering 19 people on charges of espionage, and they said that all of them were from Deir Ezzor city, and they were hung in one of the slaughterhouses designated for slaughtering livestock.

In May 2017, the leader of ISIS mercenaries, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, called on Deir Ezzor clans to join the ranks of mercenaries, via a video broadcasted by the mercenaries entitled "Heed the Call", in which the mercenaries distributed the papers of "Al-Baghdadi's Alert" to the youth, and huge banners were hung in the streets of Deir Ezzor on which the phrase "Heed the Call" was written.

Other footage showed sheikhs from the tribes inciting the youth to join the mercenaries, saying that they had no choice but to do so, or they would be slaughterd.

Foreign ISIS mercenaries dominated the decisions in Deir Ezzor, and conditions in the region got inferior day by day, as a result of the continuous bombarding of the international coalition forces, Russian and Syrian government aircrafts and Iranian missile strikes, which led to the displacement of thousands and the destruction of the infrastructure amid a complete absence of services.

The sun of freedom shines again

After a black era that lasted nearly four years in the eastern and western countryside of Deir Ezzor, the Deir Ezzor Military Council belonged to the Syrian Democratic Forces, and with the International Coalition's support announced on September 9, 2017 the start of "Al-Jazira Storm" campaign to liberate the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor from ISIS mercenaries, in response to the continued calls and appeals of the clans to the Syrian Democratic Forces, and on September 11, 2017, a group of sheikhs and notables of Deir Ezzor tribes announced "the establishment of a preparatory committee to discuss the foundations and principles for establishing the Deir Ezzor Civil Council, similar to the civil councils of the various cities that were liberated from terrorism." The committee confirmed its support for the campaign of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Deir Ezzor against ISIS mercenaries.

During this period, the Damascus government forces, with the support of Russia and the Iranian forces and their militias, announced a campaign against ISIS mercenaries on the other bank of the Euphrates.

On March 23, 2019, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced through a statement the liberation of the entire eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor from ISIS mercenaries geographically, after which the forces launched several campaigns against the sleeper cells of ISIS mercenaries.

Now, most of the eastern and western Deir Ezzor countryside regions on the northern bank of Deir Ezzor are administered by Deir Ezzor Civil Council, while the government forces, Russia and Iranian groups control the southern bank of the Euphrates Reiver.

Tomorrow: regional and international powers move ISIS to destabilize Deir ez-Zor

D.H

ANHA