2.9.4. Security incidents

Between 1 October 2025 and 31 May 2026, ACLED recorded 482 security incidents in Deir Ez-Zor governorate. Of these, 207 were coded as battles, 135 as explosions/remote violence, and 140 as incidents of violence against civilians. The majority of the incidents occurred in January 2026 (103 incidents). An analysis of ACLED data for the period since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad, from 9 December 2024 to 31 May 2026, indicates two peaks in security incidents in the governorate: January 2025, with 152 incidents, and January 2026. About half of the incidents of the first peak (80) involved violence against civilians by SDF forces (38, mainly security operations by SDF involving the detention of civilians) or explosions/remote violence by unidentified armed groups involving civilians (41, often involving the explosion of ERWs). 12 incidents involved battles between tribal or communal forces against SDF forces. In comparison, about half of the incidents (103) of the second peak —during the offensive by pro-government forces against SDF981 —in January 2026 involved battles between tribal (24) or Syrian military forces (23) against SFD forces. In the period between June 2025 and May 2026 — with the exception of August 2025 (107) and January 2026 (103) — the monthly number of recorded security incidents remained below 100. Between February and May 2025, the number of recorded security incidents exceeded 100, while from 9 December 2024 to the end of the month, ACLED recorded 90 incidents.982

During the reference period, ACLED recorded security incidents in all three districts of Deir Ez-Zor governorate. The highest number was documented in Deir Ez-Zor district (228 incidents), followed by Abu Kamal (131 incidents) and Al-Mayadin (123 incidents). Deir Ez-Zor district was also the district with the highest number (786) of overall incidents recorded in the governorate since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, followed by Al-Mayadin, with 444 incidents.984

According to ACLED data, the SDF were the main actor involved in security incidents during the reference period. They appeared in 205 of the 482 incidents recorded in total, either as Actor 1 or Actor 2. This was followed by unidentified armed groups which were coded as Actor 1 or Actor 2 in 195 incidents and ISIL in 115 incidents. A comparison with the overall security situation since 9 December 2024 shows a similar picture regarding the main actors, with SDF (677 incidents of the 1 548 incidents recorded in total), unidentified armed groups (652 incidents), and ISIL (304 incidents) coded either as Actor 1 or Actor 2. Civilians were involved in incidents with unidentified groups (119), the SDF (50), and ISIL (21) in the reference period, with an overall involvement in 210 incidents (44 % of the 482 incidents recorded in total). This broadly reflected the pattern seen in the period since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, when civilians were involved in incidents with unidentified groups (421), the SDF (265), and ISIL (46), with an overall involvement in 778 incidents (50 % of the 1 548 incidents recorded in total).985