Tribal assassinations spark Iraqi-Syrian border concern
The assassination of a prominent tribal figure and reports of continuing smuggling of individuals from Syria into Iraq have raised concerns on both sides of the border.
The assassination of a major tribal sheikh in eastern Syria and the ensuing protests have raised concerns about the stability of Deir ez-Zor province and what this may mean for its notoriously porous border with western Iraq.
The sheikh, Mutsher Hamud Jeidan al-Hifl, was a prominent leader of the Egaidat, the largest tribal confederation in the province. Another sheikh who was with him at the time was also killed.
