Six killed in attack by pro-government militias on tribal area in Syria's north-east
The violence in the town of Suluk, to the east of the Euphrates River in Raqqa governorate, came after members of the Unai, the main tribe in the area, expelled on Monday a militia called the Sunni Lions, which is part of a constellation of armed groups in the region supported by Ankara and allied with Syria's ruling Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS).
The main conflict in the north-east is between US-backed Kurdish forces and the Turkish-backed government in Damascus and its auxiliaries. The violence in Suluk indicates disagreements between the central authorities and Arab tribes. The tribes have been trying to regain influence on their home turf, after their areas repeatedly changed hands in the 14 years of Syria's civil war between anti-Assad rebel Kurdish militias, pro-Iranian forces and finally Turkish-backed forces.
Local resident Hamlan Al Ein said the expulsion of the Sunni Lions was sparked by the beating by militiamen of an elderly man in the street while he was with his grandchild.
"It was the tipping point. People are fed up with their racketeering and thuggishness," Mr Al Ein told The National. He said militiamen then returned to Suluk on Tuesday, accompanied by units of the Syrian National Army, another militia supported by Turkey.
"They fired mortar rounds and Dushkas randomly," Mr Al Ein said, referring to a Soviet-era heavy machine-gun. "They broke into shops and rampaged in the town."
The dead comprised two tribal fighters and four civilians, he said. There was no information about casualties among the attacking forces.
Abdallah Najm, commander of the Sunni Lions, appeared in a video statement from the main square in Suluk. He accused the Unai of "provocation against the government" and marring joy over the removal of Syria's former Bashar Al Assad regime.
Mr Najm brandished a tribal robe at the end of his statement, a symbol of victory.
The Syrian National Army captured Suluk in 2018 from the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a militia supported by the US that still controls large areas of north-east Syria. Since the fall of former president Mr Al Assad, the Syrian National Army, the Sunni Lions and other Arab militias have allied with HTS.
HTS, which was formerly linked with Al Qaeda, is led by Ahmad Al Shara, the current Syrian president. Mr Al Shara has been seeking to enlist tribal support in the east to undermine the SDF. He has used a similar strategy against other foes in his quest to consolidate control over the country.
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