Tribes vow to fight US-backed militants in northeastern Syria

A number of Arab clans, tribes and national elites have voiced their support for popular resistance forces against US troops and their allies, accusing the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and other militant groups of stealing the country’s resources.  

In a statement issued on Thursday, the elders and notable members of various tribes in the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo pledged after a meeting to take action against the "American occupiers" and the US-backed mercenaries and Turkish-backed militants, and to liberate Syrian territories. 

The participants stressed their resolve to extend moral and material assistance to the popular resistance until the full expulsion of foreign-backed militants and liberation of the Syrian soil.  

They also hailed consecutive victories achieved by the Syrian government forces in Aleppo, Idlb and other areas over the past few months "under the courageous leadership" of President Bashar al-Assad. 

Security conditions are reportedly deteriorating in the areas controlled by the SDF in Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr provinces amid ongoing raids and kidnapping of civilians by the US-sponsored militants. 

Locals argue that the SDF’s constant raids and arrest campaigns have generated a state of frustration and instability, severely affecting their businesses and livelihoods. 

Residents accuse the US-backed militants of stealing crude oil and failing to spend money on service sectors. 

Local councils affiliated with the SDF have also been accused of financial corruption. They are said to be embezzling funds provided by donors, neglecting services and not meeting the people’s basic needs.

In recent months, the US has dispatched fresh military convoys to Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah. The presence of US forces in northern and eastern Syria has particularly irked civilians, and local residents have on several occasions stopped American military convoys trying to enter the regions.

Syria, which has not authorized the presence of the US military in its territory, says Washington is “plundering” the country’s oil.

In their Thursday statement, the Syrian tribes also called for resistance against Turkish-backed militants which are wreaking havoc across some parts of northeastern Syria.

SDF militants kidnap Syrian civilians for forced recruitment: Report

The White House has long been providing the SDF with arms and militants.

The US support for the SDF has also infuriated Washington's NATO ally, Turkey, which views militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) – the backbone of the SDF – as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has been engaged in a destructive war inside Turkey for decades.

The presence of US-supported YPG militants in northern and northeastern parts of Syria has prompted Turkey, for its part, to conduct a cross-border incursion into the Arab country to purportedly eliminate the Kurdish militants and occupy a long narrow border area in Syria's north.

In recent months, several incidents of fierce clashes have broken out among Turkish-backed Takfiri militants in Hasakah province following dispute over the distribution of stolen objects and occupation of local people’s houses. 

Infighting erupts among Turkish-backed militants over stolen objects in northern Syria

Fierce infighting erupts between rival Turkish-backed militants in Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah over the distribution of stolen objects and disagreements over seizure of local houses.

The Arab country has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.

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