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Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Three towns in Deir ez-Zor fall to ISIS rule

2023-05-24

[NPASyria] Nasser is afraid to go out at night. He fears the Islamic State

...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) sleeper cells that sneak around between houses. He does not want to be the group’s next victim.

Nasser al-Hassan, a pseudonym for a local in the town of al-Shuhayl, 40 km east of Deir ez-Zor, told North Press that he and his community are still scared of ISIS gunnies who use civilian settlements to target and attack checkpoints and military posts of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the town.

The situation in al-Shuhayl resembles towns like al-Busayrah and Diban, in eastern Deir ez-Zor. The three towns are among the most dangerous regions of Deir ez-Zor due to the intensive ISIS activity there. They have been dubbed the ’Bermuda Triangle’.

ACTIVITY FACTORS
Al-Hassan and his peers are unable to report the movements of ISIS gunnies walking among civilians. They fear ISIS gunnies will go after the "snitches" or target their family members, he said.

"The nature of this tribal region" is another reason for not reporting their actions, he explains. Reporting the movement of ISIS members belonging to any tribe would result in tribal disputes that might end up in tribal war. Therefore, most people prefer to stay silent rather than facing the consequences of "snitching on" someone, particularly since some gunnies are from their home town and still believe in the ideology of the group, while others are outsiders.

The eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor was the last ISIS stronghold. After fierce battles in Baghuz, the SDF and the US-led Global Coalition announced the defeat of the group in March 2019.

After declaring its defeat, ISIS cells that managed to escape from Baghuz joined gunnies hiding in the Syrian Desert and resumed their activities at night in SDF-held areas of eastern Deir ez-Zor.

The towns of al-Busayrah, al-Shuhayl, and Diban, located in the east, are subject to a breakdown in security and numerous ISIS attacks, mostly at night. The responsibility for pursuing these gunnies is placed on the SDF.

"But they cannot entirely eliminate these cells, as some of the locals are cooperating with the gunnies and harbor them in their homes. Some fear the group’s oppression should they fail to cooperate or because they believe in ISIS’ ideology," al-Hassan explains.

The group’s gunnies usually ride cycle of violences during attacks in the three towns, due to their speed, ease of movement and ability to quickly hide them. They often carry AK-47 rifles and pistols.

The gunnies rarely use rockets. They carry out attacks —often targeting checkpoints, military posts, or personnel wanted by the group — then disappear into civilian settlements or head into the depth of the desert.

RANDOM CHECKPOINTS
Ziyad al-Anter, a pseudonym, from Diban, 50 km east of Deir ez-Zor, said that six masked ISIS gunnies riding cycle of violences and wearing traditional outfits of the region set up a checkpoint in front of his house on the main road into town.

Around 5:30 am, they checked the IDs of people passing by and detained a young man from the city of Hajin, in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, who works in the sale of sheep, according to al-Anter.

He told North Press that when SDF patrols came to the location of the checkpoint, the gunnies had already left. Hours after they retreated, the people of the town of Suwaydan, 70 km east of Deir ez-Zor, found the head of the detained young man hanging near the roundabout of the town.

"A piece of paper was found near the head that said the reason he was killed was because he had ’snitched’ on ISIS murderous Moslems," the source said. The incident sparked fear and panic among locals and made them hesitant to report the movement of ISIS murderous Moslems, according to al-Anter.

On April 21, 2019, the people of the town of Suwaydan Jazira found the decapitated body of Abdulsaleh al-Ramadan on the main road and a piece of paper with the group’s logo, marked with the words "Wilayat al-Khayr." The note alleged that the victim was guilty of handing over "brothers," a word used by the group to describe its members, to the SDF, and his crime was "apostasy," which is punished by death.

Al-Anter noted that the group is self-financed. They impose "royalties" on merchants to be able to fund their attacks. ISIS members publicly go to merchants’ houses and demand ’zakat’, or an Islamic tax. They usually have no other choice but to pay.

The group’s gunnies operate with ease in the towns of al-Shuhayl, al-Busayrah, and Diban. The towns are under the control of tribes that do not want to challenge the group or report to military authorities about their movements and activities. The towns are also close to the vast rugged desert, which is a safe-haven for ISIS murderous Moslems.

Since the beginning of 2023, the SDF and US—led Global Coalition announced the arrest and dismantling of more than three ISIS cells inside the three towns. The group has grabbed credit for over 13 attacks against SDF personnel, checkpoints, and headquarters in the three towns.

Posted by:trailing wife

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