Syrian Kurds To Fight Until The End

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue to show fierce resistance as the forces of the Islamist-led Syrian Transitional Government (STG) attempt to expand its control in northeastern Syria amid a ceasefire.

After taking over most of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, and reducing SDF control to the east of the Euphrates River to a pocket around the town of Kobani in the eastern Aleppo countryside and half of al-Haskaah in a lightning offensive, the STG on January 20 announced a four-day ceasefire as a part of an agreement with the group to implement a merger agreement reached earlier.

Clashes ceased after the announcement, and the next day, the United States military Central Command launched an operation to transfer up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq.

On January 23, Syria’s Interior Ministry announced that it had taken over al-Aqttan prison in the northeastern outskirts of the city of Raqqa.

On January 26, all hell broke loose, with the STG attacking the towns of Kharab al-Ashiq and al-Jalabiyah to the southeast of Kobani. The drone units of the SDF inflicted heavy losses on government forces, even destroying an entire convoy. The forces failed to capture any of the towns, but took over the Lafarge cement plant to the south of Kharab al-Ashiq.

The STG also launched a fairly large attack on the town of al-Safa in the eastern countryside of al-Hasakah. SDF fighters put on fierce resistance there, but eventually lost the town to government forces.

As these battles were taking place, the Russian military withdrew some troops and equipment from Qamishli International Airport and nearby posts in the northern al-Hasakah countryside.

Also, on January 27, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa held another meeting in Damascus with SDF commander-in-chief Mazloum Abdi to push the merger process forward. Despite reports of progress, sporadic clashes returned to northeastern Syria the next day.

All in all, trust is still absent between the STG and the SDF. The latter has clearly taken the decision to fight until the end. While government forces advanced rapidly in Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, the situation in Kobani and al-Hasakah is very different. Any decision by the government to take over these areas by force will likely cause a massacre.

https://southfront.press/syrian-kurds-to-fight-until-the-end/