Several dead in Syrian tribesmen fighting US-backed separatists in the east

Several people were killed and others injured in clashes in the eastern Syrian province of Dayr al-Zawr between Arab tribal fighters and US-backed Kurdish-led separatists of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to local media.

The exchanges of fire that continued on Thursday were among the worst in months in the region along the border with Iraq.

The clashes broke out after the US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF separatists arrested several leaders and members of the Akidat clan.

Locals said SDF fighters killed several tribesmen in the village of al-Dahlah and the US-backed separatists are seeking an ethnic conflict in eastern Syria.

They recently arrested a number of Arab tribal leaders on baseless charges that they had links to the terrorist group Daesh Takfiri.

Women in Dayr al-Zawr province, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, also said that SDF forces are using women as human shields and that clashes are taking place between Arab clans and US-backed Kurdish separatists in much of the country between the town of Diban and the town of al-Baghouz.

To justify the continued presence of American forces in Syria, the United States and its proxies have accused Arab nomads of having links to Iran and the Resistance Front.

Last month, the region east of the Euphrates saw significant unrest, supported by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Political developments, including elections in Kurdish-controlled areas and a possible rapprochement between Damascus and Ankara, have led to armed conflict in northern Syria and indicate possible shifts in power dynamics in the region.

Takfiris, formerly allied with Turkey, have recently been attacking Turkish forces in northern Syria. Meanwhile, the Turkish military is attacking SDF positions in an effort to thwart its US-backed plan to establish a separatist statelet in the region.

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