The SDF declare war on smugglers along the Euphrates. Kurdish forces carried out at least 4 operations in January against men linked to pro-Iran militias and in Damascus, who illegally sold fuel west of Deir Ezzor

The SDF dismantled a smuggling network that operated in Deir Ezzor across the Euphrates. In particular, groups trafficking in fuel between Abu Hamam and the western bank of the river were targeted. At the end of the operation, Kurdish forces threw dozens of barrels of oil set on fire into the water. The one in Abu Hamam is the fourth raid in just a month to stop the phenomenon in the Syrian province, which had recently had a boom. Similar maneuvers were, in fact, also carried out in Al-Sabha (January 16), Al-Jeneina (January 9) and in Al-Kasra (January 4). In all cases, men linked to pro-Iran militias and the Damascus army (SAA), whose job was to finance training in the West, were involved. These, in fact, seem to have recently undergone severe cuts in the funds received from their sponsors.