Syrian Regime and Kurdish Forces Launch Uncoordinated Offensive on ISIS Militants in Hassakeh

Syrian regime forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and fighters from the Kurdish People’s Protection Union (YPG) launched uncoordinated offensives on ISIS militants in the northeastern province of Hassakeh, a strategic area near the Iraqi and Turkish borders, the Daily Star reports, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Observatory director Rami Abdel-Rahman told AFP that regime forces backed by fighters from Arab tribes had seized control of 23 villages in the center of Hassakeh from ISIS, following three days of fighting.

“ISIS has launched counterattacks on regime checkpoints, while the regime fortifies its positions with support from local Arab tribes,” Abdel-Rahman said.

Syria’s official news agency SANA said the “offensive would continue until it controlled the main road linking the provincial capital Hassakeh and the city of Qamishli.”

Meanwhile, YPG forces conducted “attack and retreat” operations against ISIS outside the village of Tal Tamr in the province of Hassakeh.

“The YPG fighters in Tal Tamr are shelling ISIS around the area to lure ISIS to respond, so they can identify their positions,” Abdel-Rahman said.

The offensives come after ISIS launched an attack last week on the areas around the Kurdish-controlled Tal Tamr area of Hassakeh and kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians from 11 villages, prompting almost 5,000 people to flee to Kurdish and government-controlled areas. Nineteen of them were released Sunday.

“Control of Hassakeh province is split among ISIS, regime fighters and Kurdish militia, with overlap at a number of points,” the Daily Star writes. It is a strategic area because it is located near the Iraqi border.

Syrian Government Forces Capture Villages in South

Syrian government forces backed by the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah have captured villages in southern Syria, marking a new push in the government offensive launched earlier this month against insurgents posing a threat to Damascus, Reuters reports.

SANA reported that regime forces took the village of Tal al-Majda in Sweida province and Tal Antar in Deraa.

The south is one of the few areas where mainstream, non-jihadist rebels have retained a foothold against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra also has an active presence in the south and has clashed with mainstream western-backed rebels.

“The offensive aims to shield the capital Damascus, a short drive to the north. The insurgents had made significant gains in the south in recent months, taking several military bases,” Reuters reports.

The news comes following information that the western-backed Hazm Movement disbanded last weekend, amid reports that al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra seized its headquarters and other bases in western Aleppo province. Fighters from the group have since joined two Islamist factions – the al-Ansar Brigade and the Nour al-din al-Zinki Brigade – following intense clashes between the Hazm Movement and Jabhat al-Nusra.

“Hazm’s defeat will muddle the wider effort to combat extremism by leaving large swathes of northern Syria that had once been controlled by moderates in the hands of Nusra, which is not the main focus of the U.S. effort but is formally aligned with al-Qaida and is also designated as a terrorist group by the United States,” the Washington Post wrote.

U.S. Military Begins Vetting Syrian Rebels Eligible for Training in the Fight Against the Islamic State

“The U.S. military has begun vetting a group of Syrian rebels eligible for training and assistance in the fight against Islamic State militants, a step that paves the way for training to begin in weeks,” Reuters reports, citing the Pentagon.

According to Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, 100 moderate Syrian rebels had been undergoing vetting procedures to participate in the program.

“An additional 1,500 potential candidates have been identified and are awaiting more rigorous screening before being admitted to the program,” he added.

“Our assessment is we could be ready sometime within the next four to six weeks to begin actual training,” Kirby told a Pentagon briefing.

Last week, the U.S. and Turkey signed an agreement to use a site in Turkey for the program, one of four countries that have acknowledged offers to host training for Syrian rebels to fight against Islamic State militants.

Kirby said the training was intended to prepare Syrian rebels to battle the Islamic State, not to join the effort aimed at ousting President Bashar al-Assad.

“The goal for this program is to get them to … defend their communities, protect their own neighbors and then go on the offense against ISIL [ISIS],” Kirby said.

He added, “Nothing has changed about the policy that there is not going to be a U.S. military solution to Assad.”

Kirby said the first step would involve training 200–300 trainees per group. The aim of the program is to prepare more than 5,000 fighters a year, and a total of 15,000 over a three-year period, after they undergo vetting for the program using both U.S. government databases as well as intelligence from regional partners.

Recommended Reads

• The Guardian: Christian Militia in Syria Defends Ancient Settlements Against ISIS
• Reuters: U.S. Spy Chief Says 40 Americans Who Went to Syria Have Returned
• Associated Press: Syria Agrees to U.N. Fact-Finding Mission in Aleppo
• The Guardian: U.S. Syria Policy in Tatters After Favoured ‘Moderate’ Rebels Disband
• Wired: How Global Warming Helped Cause the Syrian War
• NPR: The Art of Syrian Refugees Sends a Message. Is Anyone Listening?
• BBC: Mother Recognized Mohammed Emwazi’s Voice on Hostage Videos

Photo Courtesy of AP Images