On Saturday, the sheikhs and dignitaries of Tabqa’s tribes issued a statement concerning the current stage and the attempts by certain external parties to incite strife targeting the region’s components.
The statement read: “The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which form the social fabric of this region, are the only force representing its people, as they are the force that defeated the most dangerous terrorist organization known to history — the terrorist group ISIS.”
The statement affirmed that the SDF has taken upon itself the responsibility of protecting all the region’s components, with their sects, religions, and ethnicities. It added: “At a time when the world turned its back on the Syrian people and left them in the hands of dark forces, when all powers on the ground refused to confront ISIS, the peoples of this region endured oppression, marginalization, and displacement.”
It further explained that the SDF took on the mission of liberation and began the fight against ISIS, noting that the forces “emerged from the al-Jazira region, and the sons of the region began joining them until they became, in every sense, a truly national force.” The statement stressed that “the tribes of the region played a major role in that stage by rallying around these forces and forming their popular base,” pointing out that the people of North and East Syria “began reshaping the very essence of these forces until they were declared a national force encompassing all components of the region.”
The statement recalled that “after the great victory achieved by these forces, followed by the announcement of the Autonomous Administration project, we, the sheikhs and dignitaries of the region, continue moving forward under the banner of these forces and the project of the Autonomous Administration. We denounce all forms of violence practiced against our people in the Syrian coast, in Sweida, and across every part of Syria.”
It stressed that the regions of North and East Syria “will not be an easy prey for aggressors as was the case in other parts of Syria,” citing the Qur’anic verse: “We made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another; the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.” The statement added: “As we reject violence and the displacement of any component of the region, we affirm our opposition to any project that seeks to partition Syrian territory.”
The statement concluded: “We support the project of a national, democratic Syria that respects and safeguards the rights of all its people within a single Syrian constitution, founded on the March 10 Agreement signed between General Mazloum Abdi, Commander-in-Chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces, and Mr. Ahmad al-Sharaa, President of the Transitional Phase. This agreement lays the cornerstone for building a united Syria for all. It is a unifying project that rejects discord and division among the region’s communities and sects, and it paves the way for launching a broad national dialogue that places the national interest at the forefront of priorities.”