KURDISH-LED FORCES USE FORMER SYRIAN REGIME BASE TO ATTACK IS
HASAKA, SYRIA—Utilizing what was a strategic navy base for the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Kurdish-led forces are making ready an assault in opposition to an Islamic State stronghold in northeastern Syria.
Syrian forces fled the bottom final 12 months and IS fighters took it over. The Syrian Democratic Forces — a gaggle of Kurdish, Arab and Christian fighters — gained management of the bottom from IS within the southern a part of Hasaka a couple of weeks in the past.
Amid the ruins of battle left over by IS, Kurds are in search of extra advances towards the group.
“Our aim is to free your entire southern Hasaka area from Daesh,” Kurdish Colonel Talal Silo, a spokesperson of the SDF, instructed VOA utilizing the Arabic acronym for IS.
IS maintains a robust presence in al-Shaddadi, 60 kilometers south of al-Khamaiel city, the place the SDF is now in management. The Kurds hope to make use of newly liberated areas as a staging level to make further advances.
“Taking on areas equivalent to al-Khamaiel is strategically necessary for our forces,” Silo mentioned.
To this point, there have been sporadic clashes between IS militants and SDF fighters, in accordance with navy sources.
‘Defensive crouch’
U.S.-led coalition airstrikes have performed a decisive function in retaking bigger swaths from IS fighters, native forces stated.
“Our partnership with the U.S.-led coalition has been regular,” Silo mentioned. “And it’ll solely proceed to take action.”
In southern Hasaka, coalition forces have coordinated intently with the SDF as its native associate within the warfare on IS.
“Coalition forces get entangled as wanted,” Orkesh Ceziri, a commander with the Kurdish YPG, the principle group that contains the SDF, advised VOA throughout a go to to the bottom this week.
“They hit Daesh positions based mostly on battle wants,” he mentioned.
Coalition officers say the IS militants have been dropping floor in Syria, with the assistance of airstrikes from coalition warplanes.
“When our airstrikes are coupled with native floor operations, we see ISIL [IS] having to react and transfer across the battlefield. This simply makes it simpler for us to strike them,” stated U.S. Colonel Steve Warren throughout a current video briefing from Baghdad.
“We consider that ISIL is now in a defensive crouch,” he stated.
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