[RUDAW.NET] Pro-Syrian regime forces launched an overnight attack in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor, resulting in the death of two civilians with at least five others injured, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced on Wednesday.
"In the late hours of yesterday evening and continuing into this morning, Syrian regime- backed mercenaries and groups of the so-called National Defense Forces launched a ground attack against areas on the eastern banks of the Euphrates River, east of Deir Ezzor," said the SDF in a statement, using a different spelling for the province.
Two non-combatants were killed and at least five others were maimed, added the statement by the SDF, which controls much of northeastern Syria (Rojava) and areas along the Euphrates, including the area where this attack occurred.
"In response to this aggression, our forces exercised their legitimate right to defend our area and our people," the statement added. "They successfully repelled the attack and are currently conducting clearance operations to eliminate any remaining threats posed by the attacking groups," stated the multi-ethnic force.
The SDF is a diverse force of Kurds, Arabs, Turkmens, and Assyrian Christians. Supported by the US-led global coalition, the group primarily has fought over the past decade against the Islamic State
 ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) to retake control of many cities and areas across northeastern Syria.
Control of Deir ez-Zor province, which borders Iraq, is now split between the SDF and the Iran-backed Syrian regime. It is also home to many of the country’s key oilfields, such as Omar and Conoco, which the global coalition helps the SDF to control. 
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