Syrian Kurdish forces took near complete control of Hasaka city on Tuesday as a ceasefire ended a week of fighting with the government, consolidating the Kurds’ grip on Syria’s northeast as Turkey increased its efforts to check their influence.
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Syrian Kurdish and government forces have reportedly agreed a ceasefire, which has already come into effect.
Turkey is now allowing a rebel Syrian force under the banner of the Free Syrian Army to assemble on its soil for an attack on an ISIS-held town, seeking to deny control to the YPG.
On Tuesday, Hasaka’s remaining government officials were confined to a few buildings known as the security quarter, while the rest of the city was under Kurdish control. Russian airstrikes routinely target Syrian rebel groups, some of whom are us -backed.
While Syrian jets have been able to bomb hospitals and densely populated civilian areas across much of the country unchallenged by United States airpower, this attack directly threatened American troops and an important ally. The military forces fighting for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including pro-government militias, will be allowed to leave.
Last week, the tense power-sharing arrangement in Hasakah broke down, leading to Syrian government forces striking YPG/SDF-controlled targets, with the government accusing them of “provocations” in the city. “The Asayesh will not back down no matter what concessions the regime offers”, Abu Araaj, a spokesperson for a YPG-allied Arab coalition called the Army of the Revolutionaries, said Monday. Twice last week, Syria aircraft flew in a part of northeastern Syria where USA forces are advising local anti-IS forces, prompting US warnings.
The agreement said the two sides would work on resolving “the Kurdish issue” and discuss what to do with discharged state employees, SANA said.
Washington has demonstrated its willingness to protect its Kurdish allies in Syria at a time when various other forces are lining up against the US.
The primary USA goal in Syria is to overthrow the Syrian government, which is led by the Baath Party, Syria’s secular Party. Hasakah is a key transit point between Mosul and Raqqah, the two major cities of the Islamic State group’s territory.
“They’re not based on trust”, Carter said then.
The control in Hasakah has been divided between the government and the Kurds since 2012.
Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook all but declared a no-fly zone for Russian and Syrian planes Monday, a policy Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has advocated since 2011.
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The Soufan Group cautioned, “While no-fly zones may seem like an attractive option on paper, they are enormously complex and costly endeavors-made even more complicated with the presence of the Russian air force and new S-400 air defense systems on the ground”.
