Waiting, waiting
Arabs from northeast Syria demand liberation from SDF rule

Between puffs of shisha and sips of tea in Damascene cafes frequented by dissidents from northeast Syria, two subjects dominate: a near-ubiquitous lack of money and how northeastern Syria will be “liberated from the PKK.” These two issues are inextricably linked for those actually from that part of the country, many of whom have relatives that joined the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) simply to be able to survive. 

For the poorest, fleeing was not an option. Millions of Syrians lack sufficient food, never mind the money for a shared taxi to a nearby town or another region. This was why so many never left both Islamic State (IS) and Assad regime areas, people note, and it is also why many remain in areas of SDF control.

The SDF rank and file, led by Kurdish commanders closely linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), have for many years consisted largely of impoverished local Arabs who saw no other way to feed themselves and their families. The population under SDF control is majority Arab but the core of the SDF command has always been fighters who spent years and sometimes decades – as is the case with its top commander, known by multiple noms de guerre including Mazloum Abdi – conducting attacks in Turkey and training in mountainous areas of northern Iraq. Although Abdi was born in Syria, he holds an Iraqi passport and is accused by many of being entirely alien to local norms, concerns, and the community.

Sector commanders of Arab areas are from the local population but residents claim some were chosen specifically because they were disliked by the population and therefore could be more easily controlled by the SDF as they depended on it for their personal safety; and it is also claimed that they were favoured as would have fewer qualms about using brutality towards the local population if needed. Some of the local intelligence chiefs have also been accused of prior involvement with Islamic State, which committed massacres against the local population including one in which over 1,000 young men and boys from the Shuaytat tribe were killed.

Following the 8 December takeover of the Syrian capital by opposition forces, multiple Arab SDF sector commanders defected and headed to parts of the country under the new government’s control. The official spokesman for the SDF-affiliated Deir Ezzor Military Council cited “SDF violations against civilians in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa” in the video announcement of his defection in December, and urged the US-led international coalition to stop supporting the SDF. 

The defectors are now waiting for the SDF to leave so that they can return but in a different uniform – or for those wishing to return to farming or studying, none at all; and with loyalty to the country instead of the “PKK forces” from which they previously received salaries, they say.

Several commanders of Syrian National Army (SNA) factions originally from Deir Ezzor but who were fighting for years in Turkish-backed groups have also been unable to return to their land, homes, and families. In many cases the wait has lasted more than a decade. Despite reservations about the current government held by some, few deny that they want a unified Syria “without the PKK.”

Many from the eastern regions feel that the present window of opportunity is unlikely to be repeated. The general hope is that sanctions will be lifted, the economy will improve and there will be more jobs. In recent years the two main sources of employment in northeastern Syria have been  the SDF and illegal activities, including the drugs trade, which locals say has proliferated in SDF-held territory. 

For now, significant numbers of Arabs remain in the SDF, while waiting to see what the future holds. Many could revolt should they cease getting paid or if a major operation was launched to  expel the SDF. Their relatives in the capital say that men - including armed ones - are needed on the ground there to protect property from being “carted off to Qandil [the PKK’s longstanding stronghold and hideout in mountainous areas of northern Iraq]”.

The defense minister in the new Damascus government recently announced that the eastern region “will be liberated, inshallah” but called for the local population to be patient.

For now, it appears that the call is being heeded; but few believe that the People’s Protection Units (YPG) - the Kurdish backbone of the SDF - will give up their hard-won territorial control without yet another battle. While negotiations between the SDF and Damascus continue, the issue extends far beyond Syria’s borders. All eyes are on the talks between the Turkish government and imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan, who is anticipated to issue a message of peace at any moment. 

Syria’s interim president, Ahmad Sharaa, is meanwhile facing growing pressure from locals to “liberate" their region; but his ability to act is constrained by the Turkey-PKK talks. Patience, however, is likely to pay off. Washington supports those talks; and if a deal is reached, Washington would not permit its SDF allies to jeopardise a strategic victory.