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The Syrian tribe Al-Shaitat has called for a general mobilization against the terrorist organization YPG-led SDF after accusing the group of killing Al-Rafea Al-Khalif Al-Abd Al-Hasa, a young man who refused to stop at one of their checkpoints in the eastern Deir ez-Zor countryside.
The SDF is an umbrella group dominated by the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot, the YPG.
According to sources, the victim was a civilian with no links to the organization.
Meanwhile, the SDF has not commented on the killing of the young man.
The SDF withheld his body in the town of Al-Gharanij, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
In response, the town’s residents mobilized against the SDF, with social media flooded by videos showing calls from the town’s mosque minarets.
Muhammed Suleyman, a political researcher on Syrian affairs at Jusoor for Studies, told Türkiye Today that the SDF continues to pursue provocative practices in areas under its control, as military patrols focus on imposing dominance and instilling fear rather than maintaining security.
This approach has heightened tensions and resentment among local communities.
Al-Shaitat is an Arab tribe from the Aqidat Zubaidi confederation, based in the province of Deir el-Zour with an estimated population of 70,000 to 90,000, led by Sheikh Rafi Akleh al-Rajou.
The Al-Shaitat's members inhabit the town of Abu Hamam and the nearby villages of Kashkiya and Gharanij.
They are a branch of the larger Aqidat tribe, which extends deep into both Iraq and Syria.
Tensions in eastern Syria have been escalating. On July 14, the town of Dhiban in the eastern Deir el-Zour countryside experienced significant unrest after a civilian was shot by an SDF patrol during the confiscation of a vehicle loaded with fuel intended for smuggling into the Al-Latwa neighborhood.
Also, on Aug. 15, the Al-Baqara tribe in the Tel Abyad area of northern Raqqa province declared a general mobilization against the SDF.
Notably, not all tribes oppose the SDF. The sheikhs and elders of the Raqqa and Tabqa tribes formally expressed their support following a meeting on Monday with Jamil Mazloum, a military commander of the Euphrates region.
Their statement underscored that abandoning the SDF would invite chaos and terrorism, reaffirming the tribes’ commitment to protecting their land and maintaining stability.
The Al-Shaitat tribe is known for its strong resistance, having opposed Daesh in previous confrontations since the early days of the group’s operations in Syria.
According to Suleyman, the Al-Shaitat tribe has been forced into confrontations, such as the Al-Shaitat battle against Daesh and the Aqidat’s mobilization against the SDF.
In both instances, the tribes did not initiate the escalation but acted out of necessity for self-defense, and they are not expected to take the initiative this time unless compelled.
Suleyman noted that Syrian tribes operate primarily to protect their existence and historical interests on the ground, rather than being guided by external agendas or politicized directives.
Historically, tribes have demonstrated that they do not serve as permanent instruments of any authority or political regime and will not permit themselves to be used as a substitute for state forces or as a tool of control.
The tribes are likely to resort first to protests and vocal opposition to SDF practices before considering any military escalation.
"However, if the SDF continues its repressive and provocative policies, armed confrontation may become inevitable," Suleyman said.
This development comes amid ongoing clashes and skirmishes between government forces and the SDF across several areas.
On Wednesday, in the eastern Aleppo countryside, a Syrian civilian was killed and others, including a child, were injured following shelling, according to reports from the Syrian state news agency (SANA).
President Ahmad Al-Sharaa and SDF ringleader Mazloum Abdi signed, on March 10, a deal to integrate northeastern Syria under state control and uphold territorial unity, but the SDF has repeatedly violated it.
Researcher Suleyman warned that fragile internal security in areas under SDF control poses a serious threat to the group’s authority.
He noted that most of these regions are under tribal influence, making it difficult to maintain control without stability.
"If chaos escalates due to SDF actions, U.S. support could decline, especially if the group becomes a threat to stability," Suleyman said, emphasizing that this would contradict American interests in Syria.
He also cautioned that any large-scale external intervention could reshape the conflict and its outcomes.
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