Another attack was carried out on a sheikh from the al-Agidat tribal federation in the Deir ez-Zor region in eastern Syria. The target, Hussein Inad al-Mufdi, was not injured. According to available information, an explosive device detonated at eleven o'clock local time in front of his house in the village of Abu al-Nitil, northeast of Deir ez-Zor. The explosion caused property damage, but no people were injured.

This is already the second attack that targeted al-Mufdi within a few weeks. Twenty days ago, he was shot at by unknown persons on his way back from the village of As-Suwar.

In eastern Syria, two members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) were shot dead by unknown persons in mid-January. The incident occurred in the town of Al-Shahil, about forty kilometers east of Deir ez-Zor. The attackers were on motorcycles and managed to escape undetected. However, sleeper cells of the regime or the ISIS are suspected to be behind the act.

There is a wide network of ISIS cells in the self-governing region of Deir ez-Zor. Despite competition between the Syrian regime and Turkey, both states have a vested interest in destabilizing the self-governing region. To crush self-rule, both powers rely on ISIS. This has resulted in increasing jihadist activity in recent months. The attacks are primarily directed against tribal elders and individuals from the various population groups in eastern Syria who are close to the autonomous administration. Since the beginning of the year, attacks against members of the SDF have also become increasingly frequent.