SHUHAIL, Syria — Graffiti denouncing the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is scrawled across the walls in Shuhail, an Arab town in Deir ez-Zor province flanked by golden grain fields near the snaking Euphrates River.
Weeks of Arab protests against Kurdish control here have mostly quieted during Ramadan but are expected to resume after the holy month ends June 4. Deadly incidents in early May left a decidedly tense atmosphere. The residents are wary of speaking to the media and refuse to use their real names, citing fear of being killed or arrested.