Islamic State Launches Two Offensives Against Syrian And Kurdish Forces

Fighters from the Islamic State launched attacks on Kurdish militia and Syrian government forces as they started an offensive after losses close to the place they consider as the capital of their caliphate. The extremists made incursions into Kobani, which is close to the border with Turkey, and the northeastern city of Hasaka.

A separate offensive was conducted in the south as the rebels sought to drive government forces out of the city of Deraa. The attacks by the rebels come after Kurdish-led forces advanced into areas close to Raqqa.

The attacks on Deraa and Hasaka may test the resolve of President Bashar al-Assad in holding remote outposts, which are far from the western part of the country. US-led forces have continuously bombed Islamic State targets since last year in an effort to defeat the extremist group. The group proclaimed a caliphate that will rule all Muslims living in Iraq and Syria last year.

A number of cities in Iraq and Syria were captured by the group last month. While recent Kurdish attacks have changed the momentum, the group started a new tactic of attacking other areas whenever they lost ground. The al-Nashwa district was seized by the group in Hasaka, which is divided into different zones controlled by government and Kurdish forces. Government forces have moved back into the center of the city after the offensive.

Islamic State Launches New Offensive - image credit: ibtimes.co.uk

Residents in the al-Nashwa district were expelled from their homes, with a number of them detained or executed by the Islamic State. A number of extremists were killed during the offensive, including a Tunisian commander.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two districts were captured by the extremist group. The government-held areas within Hasaka are among the last footholds of Assad in the northeastern region of the country close to the border with Turkey and Iraq. The Kurds have controlled much of the territory after the conflict in Syria started in 2011.

The attack on Kobani started with an explosion from a car bomb close to border crossing with Turkey, according to the Observatory and Kurdish officials. Kurdish forces were fighting the extremists inside the town itself. Kurdish forces, also called the YPG, drove back the Islamic militants from Kobani last year with help of US air strikes. The fighting in Kobani lasted for four months.

Redur Xelil, spokesman for the YPG, said the attackers on Thursday’s incursion entered through Turkey, based on witness accounts and initial information. He said the attackers were using five cars flying the Free Syrian Army flag. The group fought beside the YPG against the Islamic State.

Xelil added that the attackers opened fire at anyone they encountered. The Observatory also revealed that the attackers were wearing uniforms of the YPG. Thirty of the attackers were killed by Kurdish fighters, and images posted on social media showed a dead Islamic State fighter wearing the uniform.

Posted by James Fried on Friday June 26 2015, 2:50 PM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0