Assad, backed by Russian Federation and Iran, has focused mostly on fighting Sunni Arab rebels who have been battling to oust him in western Syria with support from countries including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
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“Turkey we will be more active in the Syria issue in the coming six months as a regional player”.
The YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) consider Al-Bab and Manbij to be very strategic in order to unite the Kurdish canton administrations from Cizire, Kobane, until Efrin.
The U.S. has twice scrambled fighter aircraft to protect American special operations forces and allies after Syrian government warplanes attacked near the northeastern city of Hassakeh, officials said Friday.
Thursday, in fact, was the first time American fighter aircraft were scrambled in response to a Syrian government attack against the anti-terrorist Kurdish YPG – also known as the People’s Protection Units – which operates in the north. It was unclear whether the aircraft had carried out bombing runs.
In light of regime airstrikes targeting the YPG close to nearby US troops, the Pentagon (headquarters of the US Department of Defense) warned the Assad regime Friday to not attack near US forces, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“A delegation of Russian officials and members of the (pro-regime militia) National Defence Forces (NDF) have arrived at Qamishli airport for a meeting tomorrow (Monday)”, a source from the Hasakeh governorate said.
It said clashes were also taking place in a number of places around Hasaka.
Most of Hasakeh city is controlled by Kurdish forces, while the rest is held by fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.
The regime and Kurdish forces share a common enemy in IS, but there have been tensions between them in Hasakeh.
U.S. forces then contacted Russia, ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, which has been some areas in Syria for nearly a year, but the Russians have stressed that it was in the case Syrian planes which were conducting the attack.
The U.S. has previously used the F-22 to intercept foreign military aircraft, from Russian Tupolev Tu-95 bombers off the coast of Alaska and California in 2015 to an Iranian F-4 Phantom warplane trying to intercept a U.S. MQ-1 Predator drone flying in worldwide airspace off Iran in 2013.
While frequent skirmishes have arisen in Hasakah and Qamishli between the YPG and the government-backed militias, “they haven’t escalated to a huge degree”, said Chris Kozak of the Institute for the Study of War.
The Pentagon said no coalition casualties were reported in Friday’s strikes by two Syrian SU-24s, and USA special operations advisers had been moved to a safe location. “We will ensure their safety”.
The US at that point made it clear through the Russians that the US would “take whatever action is necessary” to defend US forces on the ground if the strikes continued.
Thousands are reported to have fled their homes. The following day, the regime launched its first ever air strikes against the Kurds.
Davis said more US combat air patrols have been sent to the area to ensure safety for forces on the ground. U.S. forces were moved from the area and are in a safe location, Davis said without elaborating. It is thought to be the first time this has happened.
More than 290,000 people have been killed since Syria’s conflict erupted in March 2011, and millions have been forced to flee their homes.
A surge in violence in Syria’s second city Aleppo has left 333 people dead since July 31, the Observatory said yesterday.
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In the central province of Homs, 20 civilians including at least five children died overnight in suspected regime air raids and artillery fire on a cluster of towns and villages, the Observatory said Saturday.
