This week in northern Syria
#75: June 1 - 7
06/01/24: Contaminated drinking water reportedly caused the hospitalization of at least 500 individuals in Jarabulus. The cause of the contamination appears to have been a burst sewage pipe leaking into a canal just to the east connected to the Euphrates, from which the city’s water system is sourced (water pump station and treatment plant located here). The Local Council isolated the canal, and paused water pumping for a day, while a NGO distributed chlorine tablets for water sterilization.
Efforts by the Jarabulus Local Council to isolated the contaminated canal from the Euphrates river (source) 06/03/24: Large scale clashes broke out in the city of Afrin between SNA factions Furqat Ahrar al-Sharqiyah and Furqat al-Hamzah, with the use of heavy weaponry and mortars reportedly injuring civilians and damaging residential buildings. The fighting appears to have started on Afrin’s western ‘Mazout Street’ over a property dispute related to a group that defected from Ahrar al-Sharqiyah ally Jaysh al-Sharqiyah to Furqat al-Hamzah. It soon spread to other parts of Afrin including Cindires, before a ceasefire was reached and the Military Police were deployed as a peacekeeping force. At least one member of Furqat Ahrar al-Sharqiyah and Furqat al-Hamzah were reportedly killed in the clashes. Several days later the factions published a joint statement apologizing for the incident and promising to compensate civilians affected, and established a committee to resolve standing disputes.
06/03/24: The SDF's Anti-Terror Units (YAT) and Coalition forces carried out a joint raid in al-Dahlah, cental Deir ez-Zour, killing five members of a suspected local Islamic State cell. According to the SDF the cell was responsible for the recent SVBIED attacks in al-Shuhail and al-’Izbah.
06/05/24: SNA factions Maghawir al-Sham 7th Division and Ahrar al-Sham Eastern Sector (headed by Muhammed Rami ‘Abu Haidar Maskanah’) announced their merger under the name Maghawir al-Sham Division 26. Maghawir al-Sham 7th Division was the February 2024 rebranding of an Afrin-based, anti-HTS Ahrar al-Sham splinter, headed by Yousef al-Hamawi. Abu Haidar Maskanah’s Ahrar al-Sham Eastern Sector, not to be confused with ex-Tajammu’ al-Shahba’ and the ‘Ala Faham-led splinters now both affiliated with the 3rd Legion, is based in the eastern Euphrates Shield region and already part of the 2nd Legion’s Division 26 prior to this announcement. Faylaq al-Rahman is also affiliated this 2nd Legion division.
06/05/24: The opposition-aligned Kurdish National Council (ENKS) announced the selection of Suleiman Oso as its new president. Oso, age 65, is a longtime Kurdish political activist from Tell Dik village in northwestern al-Hasakah governorate who previously served as the secretary of the ENKS-affiliated Partîya Yekîtîya Kurdistani – Sûrîyê (previously Partîya Yekîtî ya Kurd li Sûrîyê) and as “a member of the ENKS delegation responsible for holding peace talks with the ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD).” Previous ENKS President Siud Mala resigned in March after a controversial video of him speaking with a woman went viral.
Suleiman Oso speaking in front of poster of Mustafa Barzani 06/06/24: The DAANES High Elections Commission announced its decision to postpone the local elections scheduled for June 11th to August, citing demands made by alliances and parties participating “and in order to implement the electoral process in a democratic manner.” This comes a week after threats issued by Turkish President Erdoğan and other officials over the planned elections, painting them as threats to Syria’s territorial integrity, as well as a statement made by the US State Department claiming that the conditions for “free, fair, transparent, and inclusive” are not in place at the present time.
06/06/24: A Turkish drone strike targeted a vehicle traveling near the village of Naqarah, southwest of al-Qamishli city. The strike reportedly resulted in the injuries of unidentified individuals and sparked crop fires in nearby fields. Three days earlier the Asayish reported that a Turkish drone strike targeted one of its vehicles in Kobanî city, injuring two members of the security force [pictures via local media here and here].
06/06/24: Syrian Civil Defense reported extinguishing a large fire on Afrin’s central Hawar Mountain (928m) after 44 hours of firefighting operations. According to the SCD’s calculations the fire burned approximately 150 hectares of small trees and shrubs. Satellite imagery via Sentinel shows fire damage to two areas around the mountain’s peak.
This comes as Syria continues to suffer through a heat wave with much of the northern and eastern countryside experienced temperatures above 40° Celsius (104° Fahrenheit).
(source)
Claimed Islamic State attacks against the SDF:
06/03/24: The Islamic State claimed a SVBIED attack against a training course at an SDF facility in the village of ‘Atalah (‘Atalah oil field located here), located on the Deir ez-Zour/al-Suwar road, allegedly killing and injuring 15 fighters.
The A’maq Agency report on the attack According to a video published by the SDF two days later, showing the destroyed remains of the suicide vehicle, the attack took place at the al-’Izbah Regiment base (10th Regiment, according to Enab Baladi) and did not kill anyone present. Photos and video of the immediate aftermath were published to social media matching the SDF video but have yet to be geolocated. The SDF also reported that two ‘terrorists’ were killed in the same area the following day after an IED they were attempting to plant on the road exploded.
The aftermath of the attack inside the main gate of the base
