Mohammed Za’al Ali, the governor of Hasaka, said that Kurdish fighters intend to push out government forces from strategic points of the Kurdish-majority city.
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The U.S. aircraft narrowly missed intercepting the Syrian planes, which had already left the scene near the town of Hasakah, U.S. officials said Friday. “We did make clear that USA aircraft would defend troops on the ground if threatened”.
The YPG has denied participation in any meetings with Syrian officials, saying they would continue fighting until the last government-held areas of the city had been controlled.
The U.S. military scrambled its fighter planes on August 19 and flew over Al-Hasakah within about 1.5 kilometers of two Syrian SU-24 fighter jets in an effort to “encourage” them to leave the area, a U.S. defense official told CNN.
For the first time in the nearly six-years of the Syrian war, Syrian regime forces deployed warplanes against the YPG.
The official further told AFP that the Syrian soldiers and the fighters with the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) would withdraw from Hasakah while police forces belonging to the two parties would remain there.
TVC NEWS Fighting between the Syrian army and Kurdish forces intensified late on Friday and into Saturday, creating the risk of yet another front opening in the multi-sided civil war.
“We advise them to steer clear of where we’re operating”, said Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook at a Pentagon briefing.
Davis said more USA combat air patrols have been sent to the area to ensure safety for forces on the ground.
In another escalation of Syria s bloody conflict, warplanes from President Bashar al-Assad s regime were bombarding the city of Hasakeh – targeting Kurdish forces that for months have worked closely with coalition military advisers helping local fighters combat the Islamic State group.
A Syrian military statement said the army had taken the “appropriate response” after Kurdish forces attacked Hasakeh.
The Raptors chased away the Fencers to protect U.S. Special Operations forces that are operating in the area, and no weapons were fired, according to The Los Angeles Times’ W.J. Hennigan.
The Russians were said to have also backed the Kurdish fighters in their push against the IS, but no Kurdish group have admitted receiving such support from Russia.
Ground forces received no response to attempts to contact the planes through a recognized radio channel.
“We will ensure their safety”, said Davis.
Separately, two Russian ships in the Mediterranean launched long-range cruise missiles for the first time since December against jihadist targets in Syria on Friday, the Russian defence ministry said.
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It was Moscow’s first use of cruise missiles in Syria since December.
