MESOP REPORT : Arabs support Kurds against ISIL in Syria’s Raqqa

07-04-2014 –  ARA News – Urfa, Turkey– Arab tribes and rebel groups in Raqqa province released a joint statement on Friday regarding the instigation of what they called “ethnic war” against the Kurds in Raqqa province by the Qaeda splinter group of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and its claims of having the support of the Arab tribes in Raqqa. The statement was released by the General Command of the Raqqa Rebels Brigade, the Gathering of Raqqa Tribes, the Interim National Authority in Raqqa Province and the Youth Revolutionary Movement.

The statement, which was distributed online, stated that none of the Arab tribal group in Raqqa province has ever backed the ISIL practices against Syria’s Kurds, adding that some individuals may have supported the ISIL, “which does not represent the stance of the Arab tribes in the area”. The groups have also emphasized the Arab-Kurdish brotherhood.

The Arab tribes and rebel groups called on the residents of Raqqa province in Syria and the neighboring countries to be cautious in dealing with the ISIL, describing the growing power of ISIL in Raqqa province as a “malicious plant” and a “malignant cancer”.

ISIL’s growing power was attributed to the “weakness and lack of unity between the people of Raqqa province”.  The statement also referred to the “efficient” military operations carried out by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and other Islamic groups in the suburbs of Raqqa city, saying that it “contributed to the weakening of ISIL’s fist on areas in Raqqa province”.  “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has recruited some mercenary groups who pretend to be members of Arab tribes while announcing allegiance to ISIL,” the statement read. “The claims of ISIL that Arab tribes in Raqqa support the group’s practices are absolutely baseless.” The statement invited the residents of Raqqa province to reject ISIL’s attacks against the Kurdish people in Raqqa province and other areas, condemning those who fight alongside the group.  Noteworthy, the Qaeda splinter group of ISIL has displaced hundreds of Kurds from the city of Tel Abyad and its environs in the northern countryside of Raqqa city, and was repeatedly engaged in clashes with the Kurdish forces of the Popular Protection Units (YPG) in north and northeastern Syria.