Syria, clashes between US-backed forces and Iranian-backed forces

2024-09-21 11:15:20, Kosova & Bota CNA

Fresh fighting broke out on Friday between the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and Iran-backed Syrian government forces in the eastern province of Deir el-Zour, a war monitoring organization and local sources reported.

The fighting began when Syrian government forces and paramilitary groups supporting them launched mortar attacks on positions belonging to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A resident of the area told VOA that SDF fighters responded by firing towards the source of the attacks, using mortars and small arms. The resident, who asked to remain anonymous for security reasons, said some SDF fighters suffered minor injuries in the clashes, but the Syrian Observatory said there were no confirmed reports of casualties on either side.

Control of Deir el-Zour is divided between the two sides. The SDF controls the eastern side of the Euphrates River, while the western side is controlled by Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias. Iran has been a staunch supporter of Syrian government forces since the start of the conflict in the country in 2011.

Deir al-Zour province was a major stronghold for the Islamic State terrorist group until 2019, when SDF forces, aided by a global coalition led by the United States, ended the so-called ISIS caliphate. in eastern Syria.

In recent weeks, there has been an increase in confrontations between the parties. In August, a Syrian government paramilitary group called the National Defense Forces launched an attack on SDF-held parts of Deir el-Zour, killing several civilians, according to local media reports. In response, the SDF launched a major offensive, killing at least 20 government soldiers.

The SDF is a Kurdish-led military alliance that has been a key partner of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist group. As part of ongoing efforts to fight remnants of ISIS, the United States maintains about 900 troops stationed in northeastern Syria, including in Deir el-Zour.

Hoshang Hasan, a journalist with the local North Press agency, which closely covers events in eastern Syria, says that Syrian government forces and allied Iranian militias have made it clear that their goal is to destabilize the situation in Deir el-Zour.

"They are determined to keep this region unstable and to do that, they have repeatedly tried to remove American forces from this area," he told VOA.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza in October 2023, bases housing US and coalition forces in eastern Syria have been attacked dozens of times by Iranian-backed militias.

Jonathan Spyer, director of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum, said there was a need for increased US military support for the SDF to maintain the status quo in the region.

"The goal of Iranian-backed militias to pressure the United States and its allies is clearly to precipitate a withdrawal of the United States," he told VOA, adding that "such a withdrawal would remove a major obstacle to Iranian control and smuggling and the movement of forces from Iraq to Syria and Lebanon in the event of an all-out war against Israel."

"The current increase in pressure [in eastern Syria] cannot be separated from the more general partial mobilization of Iranian-backed forces in the region, in the context of the Gaza war," he underlined./ VOA