U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Syria Ethan Goldrich and Major General Joel B Vowell met with representatives from Syrian Arab tribes and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to de-escalate regional violence. The talks took place in the resource-rich Deir al Zor province of eastern Syria.
Recent Arab tribal backlash against YPG authority has led to over 150 deaths. The largely Kurdish YPG is the dominant paramilitary organization of the U.S.-supported SDF. Violence erupted last month when the SDF arrested a rebellious Arab commander. Unrest originated in the ‘oil belt’ of towns between Busayrah and Shuhail, where Arab tribal fighters drove Kurdish-led forces out of their positions. SDF forces regained control of the strategic towns on Sunday and accused Iran and the Damascus government of exploiting internal divisions to expand their influence. U.S. forces in the SDF-controlled region have previously prevented Russian and Iranian-backed militias from expanding. The U.S. maintains a force of 900 troops in Syria. Arab tribal spokesmen claim that their areas are neglected in favor of Kurdish-majority regions and that they seek self-governance. The SDF denies any discrimination against Arab populations and blames the Islamic State for hindering local development.
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