Inner-SDF conflict during the Syrian Civil War
The Inner-SDF conflict during the Syrian Civil War is an ongoing and sporadic internal conflict in the Syrian Democratic Forces between factions under its banner.
Background[edit]
The conflict began in November of 2015 after tensions rose between the Free Syrian Army aligned Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) which is a major and leading component of SDF. Other clashes have occurred between other factions of SDF, clashes have occurred over various including tensions between factions aligned with the Syrian Opposition and factions supportive of the Syrian government, other tensions have occurred over perceived Kurdish domination and hegemony in SDF and in areas taken by the alliance from ISIL, as well as accusations of corruption, forced recruitment, as well as displacement and discrimination against Arabs by YPG.
Timeline[edit]
2015[edit]
In October 2015, the Tribal Army was formed in the town of Tell Abyad to protect Arab locals from what the group's leaders described as systematic displacement and other abuses by YPG. Clashes erupted between YPG and the Tribal Army after, the Tribal Army began blockading YPG from entering Tel Abyad, citing claims of abuses and discrimination, as well as YPG reportedly bringing in non-Syrian Kurds to administer Arab populated areas, and YPG killing a Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa member by machine gunning him.
Following the blockade by the Tribal Army, YPG besieged the area held by the Tribal Army and Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa for three weeks, during the siege YPG prevented food from entering Tel Abyad, as well as aid for wounded fighters, along with other essential supplies. A rebel commander affiliated with the Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa, stated that YPG had used the tactic before against other Arab components of SDF even at the expense of fighting ISIL. The commander also stated that during the battle of Kobani YPG prevented ammunition from reaching Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa.
During the YPG imposed siege, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa released a statement saying that the siege has made the Tribal Army a burden on the rest of the group, and that the tensions has compromised the shared objective of eliminating ISIL from the Raqqa Governorate.[1]
In December 2015, tensions continued to persist between YPG and the Tribal Army, the Tribal Army released a statement calling on the United Nations to intervene against YPG. After the months of conflict the Tribal Army was dissolved by YPG.[2][3]
2016[edit]
In September 2016, clashes erupted between the Free Syrian Army linked Liwa al-Tahrir and Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa, both of which were part of Jaysh al-Salam and YPG in the northern part of the Raqqa Governorate. Clashes began after Liwa al-Tahrir broke away from SDF and came into open conflict with YPG in Tel Abyad, an armed confrontation simultaneously occurred between Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa and YPG west of Ain Issa. During the clashes between Liwa al-Tahrir and YPG, YPG imposed a siege on positions the group held and 50 members of Liwa al-Tahrir including the group's commander Abu Muhammad Kafr Zita left Raqqa for Jarabulus and defected over to the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army. The clashes reportedly occurred over Liwa al-Tahrir's commander Abu Muhammad Kafr Zita criticizing YPG's rule over areas under the group's control, and claimed YPG was marginalizing Arabs, and he called for a restructuring of SDF over these issues.[4]
On 25 December 2016, three Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa commanders reportedly defected to the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, which itself was a former sub-group of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa, two days later on 27 December the defected commanders claimed they were taken captive by the Raqqa Hawks Brigade in the town of Taybeh near Ain Issa and that they were tortured and forced to announce their defection and that they were still loyal to Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa.[5] Days prior SDF reportedly launched an arrest campaign against members of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa and other Arab groups over tensions with the group over its refusal to participate in operation Wrath of Euphrates due to Liwa Thuar al-Raqqa's condemnation of YPG's dominance in the operation, as well as claims of forced displacement by YPG.[6]
2017[edit]
On 23 February 2017, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa attacked a component of the Raqqa Hawks Brigade called the Northern Union near Tel Abyad after members of the component raised the Syrian Baathist flag in the village of al-Fares where the Northern Union, led by Abu Yamen al-Meko is based. During the clashes Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa captured and killed several members of the Northern Union and seized their weapons, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's spokesman claimed Abu Yamen and his fighters were loyal to the Syrian government and Bashar al-Assad, the spokesman also said that the group would never allow the Syrian government to return to Raqqa.[7]
On 11 April 2017, the United States Air Force accidentally bombed a position held by the Raqqa Hawks Brigade in an instance of friendly fire during the battle of Tabqa killing 17 fighters from the group, the group along with a BBC reporter claimed that YPG had ordered the airstrike on the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, however YPG denied these claims.[8][9]
On 27 August 2017, the US military and YPG conducted a joint operation against the Raqqa Hawks Brigade, during the operation YPG supported by the US military raided the headquarters of the Raqqa Hawks Brigade in Tel Abyad, during the raid 15 members of the group were arrested including one the group's commanders Fayyad al-Ghanim, several others fled to areas held by the Syrian government. The raid occurred after YPG warned the group to surrender to YPG over allegations of collaborating with the Syrian government.[10]
On 28 September 2017, SDF's military police arrested Yasser al-Dahla the leader of the Baggara Youth Gathering, a group that is part of SDF's Deir ez-Zor military council composed of member of the Baggara tribe, claiming he wasn't participating effectively enough during the Deir ez-Zor campaign, SDF also claimed he and his fighters lacked military discipline, while the Baggara Youth Gathering denied SDF's claims, and claimed that SDF wasn't allowing fighters that had defected from Turkish backed rebel groups of joining the Baggara Youth Gathering, he was later released by SDF.[11]
2018[edit]
In May 2018, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa along with Arab tribes claimed YPG was forcibly conscripting Arabs in Raqqa.
On 23 June 2018, a curfew was put in place by YPG in Raqqa and other parts of the governorate, during the curefew YPG and the Raqqa Internal Security Forces attacked the headquarters of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa capturing 90 members of the group, the following day on 24 June another 200 members of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa were captured by YPG and the Raqqa Internal Security Forces, the next day on 25 June, all members of Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa were captured by YPG and the Security Forces along with their weapons, defeating the group, and the curfew was lifted afterwards.[12][13][14]
References[edit]
- ↑ https://syriadirect.org/uploads/editor/source/January16/0106jaish.jpg
- ↑ https://syriadirect.org/news/tribes%e2%80%99-army-disbands-in-north-amidst-accusations-of-ypg-blockade/
- ↑ https://www.alaraby.co.uk/politics/2016/1/5/%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%83%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%AA-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%83%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%AA%D8%AE%D8%B1%D8%AC-%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%B4-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B4%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86-%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%85%D9%82%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%B7%D9%8A%D8%A9#sthash.VM5IfFlV.dpuf
- ↑ https://www.baladi-news.com/ar/news/details/9855/%D9%84%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%A1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%B1_%D9%8A%D8%B5%D9%84_%D8%AC%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D8%B3_%D8%A8%D8%B9%D8%AF_%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%B4%D9%82%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%87_%D8%B9%D9%86_%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%AF
- ↑ https://www.baladi-news.com/ar/news/details/14265/%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%AF_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%87%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A9_%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7
- ↑ https://www.baladi-news.com/ar/news/details/14265/%D9%82%D8%B3%D8%AF_%D8%AA%D8%AD%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D8%AD%D9%84%D9%81%D8%A7%D8%A1%D9%87%D8%A7_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A8_%D9%88%D8%AB%D9%88%D8%A7%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B1%D9%82%D8%A9_%D9%8A%D9%83%D8%B4%D9%81%D9%88%D9%86_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%AE%D8%B7%D8%B7
- ↑ https://yallasouriya.wordpress.com/2017/02/23/syriaraqqathuwar-raqqa-faction-assaults-a-pro-assad-faction/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170417231633/http://en.hawarnews.com/gire-sipi-holds-funeral-ceremonies-for-17-strugglers/
- ↑ https://grasswire.com/2017/04/13/misdirected-us-coalition-airstrike-killed-18-sdf-personnel-near-tabqa-syria/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20171031163502/http://www.aldorars.com/en/news/1297
- ↑ http://www.syriahr.com/en/?p=75395
- ↑ www.middleeasteye.net/news/sdf-forces-impose-curfew-syria-s-raqqa-citing-instability-islamic-state-attacks-873502097
- ↑ https://syriadirect.org/news/raqqa-city-on-lockdown-as-us-backed-forces-clash-with-local-arab-faction/
- ↑ https://hawarnews.com/en/haber/internal-security-ended-emergency-state-h2171.html
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