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العربية
Like all sectors and resources in Deir Ezzor, livestock witnessed a decline, the largest of its kind. In previous years, Deir Ezzor ranked second after Aleppo in the production of livestock, as the number of sheep in 2011 reached 2597349 and the number of cows “248387. This year, the production index decreased by about a third. The number of sheep heads reached 750 thousand and cows heads 35,600, according to the statistics of the Directorate of Agriculture in Deir Ezzor in 2021.
The main reason for this decline is the death of thousands of livestock during the displacement waves that occurred in the province in late 2017, the year when livestock owners were forced to abandon their livestock because of the entry of Assad’s militias to the Al-Shamiya area and SDF to Al-Jazeera area to confront Daesh. Another reason is the smuggling of livestock to neighboring countries and the inability of breeders and shepherds to secure the requirements for livestock farming, such as feed, medicines, and vaccines.
The decline of the agricultural sector, the lack of pastures, and the suspension of water stations also contributed to the deterioration of the livestock situation.
Livestock in Deir Ezzor was not spared from the clutches of war and its machinery, as it was the target of the two parties in control of the Jazeera and the Shamiya areas. Iranian militias and the IRGC, as well as the Fourth Division, have looted livetock in different areas, including the western countryside of Al-Shamiya.
