Clashes Between 'Democratic Forces' and Syrian Army Near the Euphrates

Hours after the Syrian army reported seizing several villages controlled by the 'Democratic Forces' near the Euphrates River, this U.S.-backed rebel group claimed to have pushed government forces back from these areas. The 'Syrian Democratic Forces', primarily composed of Kurdish militants, announced on May 9 that they had conducted a 'successful' counterattack against the Syrian government forces. The rebels supported by the U.S.-led coalition claimed that the army and Bashar al-Assad's allies were 'backed by Russian forces'. According to the 'Syrian Democratic Forces', the army and Assad's allies were pushed back from four villages near the Euphrates. Just hours before this report, the Syrian army stated that it had captured four villages around the Euphrates, close to the Iraqi border. An official from the U.S. government confirmed in an interview with National Public Radio (NPR) that at least two villages had been captured by government forces and that the Washington-led coalition was 'working to de-escalate' the conflicts. This U.S. official stated that an artillery unit was firing towards government forces to prevent their advance: 'We are not shooting at them, we are shooting near them.' The statement from the Democratic Forces did not mention any intervention or assistance from the coalition. The areas where the clashes occurred are oil-rich regions east of the Euphrates, which were captured by the 'Syrian Democratic Forces' during battles against the group known as the Islamic State last year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that in the clashes in Deir ez-Zor province, nine members of the Syrian government forces and six members of the 'Syrian Democratic Forces' were killed. According to the Observatory, the 'Democratic Forces' have recaptured three villages. The Syrian army and the Democratic Forces rarely confronted each other during battles against the Islamic State. In February of last year, during the repulsion of an attack by Assad-loyalist militants in Deir ez-Zor, dozens of militants were killed. The U.S.-led coalition announced that in response to an 'unexpected attack' by 'Syrian government-supporting forces' on the 'Syrian Democratic Forces' positions in Deir ez-Zor, it conducted airstrikes against Assad's supporting forces. It has been reported that an unspecified number of Russian mercenaries, who went to Syria to support Assad, were also killed during the clashes.