Civil society organizations, political organizations, women’s organizations and youth movements, as well as tribal leaders and notables took to the streets in Raqqa on Wednesday to express their support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

During the march from the General Council of Raqqa to Neim Junction, the crowd displayed banners of the SDF and photos of the fighters who fell as martyrs in the recent SDF Operation Security Reinforcement in Deir ez-Zor.

Speaking at the rally that followed the march, Semire El-Ebid, a member of the Council of Martyrs’ Families, said that people could live and speak freely today thanks to the sacrifices of the SDF, who, she said, have proven their courage against an organization engaged in the most terrorist activities in the world.

Remarking that the SDF fought for world peace and humanity, El-Ebid continued: “They have sacrificed their lives to free and clear the world of the darkness of terror and left us a great legacy. They are still fighting for freedom to build a free society.”

El-Ebid also spoke about the efforts to incite discord during the SDF operation in Deir ez-Zor, defining it as an attempt to weaken the struggle of the SDF. “We believe that every kind of sedition and plot sought to be implemented in the region will be frustrated,” he added.

Tirki El-Sewan, a community leader from the El-Sebxe tribe, said: “On behalf of all the tribes and notables in Raqqa, we congratulate and salute the SDF, a vigorous shield against all the dangers against North-East Syria and betrayal.”

Tirki El-Sewan stressed that they would continue to stand with the SDF, adding: “Those seeking to incite unrest among the peoples of North-East Syria will never achieve their goal. We are all followers of the SDF.”

Background

The Syrian Democratic Forces launched "Operation Security Reinforcement" against ISIS cells in the Deir ez-Zor region late on 27 August night. The offensive, launched in cooperation with the international anti-ISIS coalition, aimed to track down and root out terror cells in order to stop potential attacks in the face of an increase in ISIS attacks against the civilian population, security personnel and local government employees. The operation was also directed against organised crime and smuggling networks. The area of operation included areas east of the Euphrates, but primarily the Deir ez-Zor region in eastern Syria. On 8 September, the SDF announced the end of Operation Security Reinforcement, reaffirming their commitment to intensify their efforts against all criminal elements and ISIS cells to ensure security and stability in the region.

“Some external actors, particularly the security apparatus affiliated with the Syrian regime found that the success of this operation is the failure of their schemes and plots in the region. Therefore, they hastened to redirect events in another direction and began involving some of their loyal figures, introducing armed elements into the villages of Deir ez-Zor by infiltrating from the western bank of the Euphrates and uniting with the armed cells affiliated with the regime under the name of the ‘Tribal Army,’ which is a security organization directly linked to the regime,” said the SDF statement about the operation.