The Arab tribes who revolted against the US-backed terrorist organization PKK’s occupation of Deir ez-Zor remain on the agenda. The tribes, who cleared a large part of the region from terrorists, recently sat at the table with the US and listed their demands.
The clashes between some Arab tribes and the YPG in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor province, which started on September 2, continue by expanding their impact. Pointing out that Iran and the Syrian government are the most profitable beneficiaries of this process in northern Syria, Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen said, “It would be surprising if the Deir ez-Zor tribes do not get closer to Damascus and Tehran after the PKK/YPG’s efforts to stop the conflict by killing hundreds of people. This may cause the US to reconsider the process.”
“THE UPRISING IS NOT AGAINST THE US”
Underlining that the main demand of the tribes is that the US should address them, not the YPG. Prof. Dr. Serhat Erkmen said the following:
Thus, they wanted a social, political and military organization within the framework of a separate administrative structure. In other words, he noted that the tribal uprising did not take place against the US.
For now, the demands of the Arab tribes have not been achieved. If they had won, the US might have said yes to their demands; I would even go so far as to say that I think it would have.
“FIGHTING SHIFTED NORTH OF MANBIJ”
Stating that the clashes in Deir ez-Zor have gradually calmed down, Prof. Erkmen reminded that the clashes between the PKK/YPG terrorist organization and armed groups from Idlib and other regions in northern Syria continue north of Manbij.
“THE MAIN ISSUE IS HOW THE US AND RUSSIA WILL APPROACH THE PROCESS”
According to Prof. Erkmen, this region is likely to be the main axis of conflict in the coming days. The question is how the US and Russia will approach this conflict process. Although there is no named operation involving the Syrian National Army (SMO), HTS or other groups, he noted that there is clearly a conflict between these groups and Russia, PKK/YPG and the Syrian Army.
Erkmen said, “What comes next will depend on the reactions of Turkey, the US and Russia, rather than the attitudes of the armed groups or terrorist organizations in the region during the conflict process. I think it was meaningful that President Erdoğan did not emphasize the Adana Memorandum or Astana during his visit to Sochi.
“THE US, RUSSIA AND TURKEY ARE WEIGHING EACH OTHER RIGHT NOW”
Stating that the US, Russia and Turkey are currently weighing each other, Erkmen continued his speech as follows:
Russia wanted to prevent a military operation in which it was not involved. Russia says, ‘If even 3-5 villages change hands in Manbij or any other region, I should be asked’. As a matter of fact, since September 1, there has been a very strong increase in attacks on Idlib.
Since September 5, the clashes in Deir ez-Zor seem to have been suppressed militarily by the YPG, but the clashes in Manbij continue. In other words, clashes started on one side of the Euphrates but continue on the other. If reports of clashes diminish in the next few days, the events in Deir ez-Zor will, for now, be just an indicator to be monitored for the future.
