ALEPPO, Syria — The Syrian government seeks to expand its influence and strengthen its military presence by relying on the Arab tribes in Hasakah province, which is under the control of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). It seems the government’s alleged efforts are supported by its allies, Russia and Iran, which attach great importance to the strategic areas of northeastern Syria that are rich in oil resources.

Tribal sources in Hasakah province told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity, “The two countries, Iran and Russia, are seeking to secure for the regime the necessary means to protect its presence in the face of the SDF and the United States and to prevent any attempt to restrict and expel it from the area. These efforts became clearer after tension erupted in Hasakah governorate between the Syrian regime and the SDF at the beginning of 2021, when the SDF imposed a siege on the regime in the security enclaves of the regime in Hasakah and Qamishli. Since then, the regime has turned to the Hasakah clans, and serious calls began to emerge about including more Arab tribesmen loyal to the regime in Hasakah in the ranks of the militias and arm them.”

The National Defense Forces, which is an auxiliary to the Syrian government forces, recently announced the graduation of a batch of fighters in the city of Qamishli. On April 8, the National Defense Forces in Qamishli published on its Facebook page pictures of military leaders and fighters performing a military parade with a caption that read, “In the presence of the political and military leadership and tribal elders in Hasakah governorate, a new batch of National Defense champions graduated, including 400 fighters who carried out a practical demonstration with live ammunition in Haj Badr village in the countryside of Qamishli.”

The graduation ceremony for the National Defense Forces fighters included recruit training, a military show with live ammunition and maneuvers to deal with the enemy. The Syrian regime’s SANA agency said on April 8, “The people of the southern countryside of Qamishli set up the Tent of the Homeland in the village of Haj Badr in support of the presidential elections and to reject the US and Turkish occupation,” in reference to supporting the election of Bashar al-Assad in the presidential elections scheduled for May 26. The Tent of the Homeland is the celebration held by the tribes in Haj Badr, which also included the graduation of the 400 fighters.