US-backed PKK/YPG terror group loses key territory beyond Deir ez-Zor for first time in years

For the first time in years, the U.S.-backed PKK/YPG terror group has lost control of key territory in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, as Arab tribes east of the Euphrates River push back against the group.

Local sources reported on Wednesday that Arab forces, previously forced to cooperate with the group due to U.S. support, are now shifting their allegiance.

Following the overthrow of Syria’s 61 years-old Ba’ath Party regime, the PKK/YPG terror group faces its first major territorial challenge in Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria. Arab tribes, who have now taken control of the city center and the districts of Al-Mayadin and Al-Bukamal, have made significant advances east of the Euphrates River.

These tribes, after driving the PKK/YPG terror group from the Euphrates region, have liberated numerous settlements, including Hajin, Ash Sha’Fah, Bahra, Gharanij, Abu Hammam, Diban, Al Tayyana, Darnaj, Abu Hardub, and the al-Tim oil field.

Shifting allegiances

Many Arab forces in the region, once aligned with the PKK/YPG due to U.S. support, are now breaking away. Members of the Deir ez-Zor Military Council, which includes Arab fighters linked to the PKK/YPG, have switched sides in recent clashes.

On Nov. 27, heavy fighting in Syria coincided with the Assad regime’s swift loss of control, allowing the PKK/YPG to expand into abandoned territories. However, following the siege of Damascus and Assad’s regime collapse, Deir ez-Zor tribes—initially cooperating with the forces that toppled the regime—began pushing the PKK/YPG back along the Deir ez-Zor and Euphrates River line.

Blocking the terror corridor

Since the Assad regime’s collapse, the PKK/YPG sought to exploit the instability to expand its control. However, local forces, backed by Türkiye, have been blocking the group’s efforts to establish a terror corridor along the Turkish border.

The PKK, which has waged a 40-year terror campaign against Türkiye and is designated as a terrorist organization by Türkiye, the U.S., and the EU, has been responsible for over 40,000 deaths, including women, children, and the elderly. The YPG, its Syrian branch, has long sought to create a foothold in Syria.

Türkiye has responded by deploying troops and collaborating with the Syrian National Army to prevent the establishment of this corridor and protect local populations from PKK/YPG oppression.