Syrian army and Kurdish forces fight ISIL on two fronts

Fighting rages in the province of Hassakeh, a strategic area near the Iraqi and Turkish borders.

 

 

Syrian government forces and Kurdish forces have fought separate battles with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group in a strategic area near the Iraqi and Turkish borders, according to a monitoring group.

Forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) launched uncoordinated offensives against ISIL in the northeastern province of al-Hassakeh, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday.

Rami Abdel Rahman, the Syrian Observatory head, told AFP news agency that after three days of clashes, regime forces bolstered by fighters from Arab tribes had secured control over 23 villages in the centre of the province from ISIL.
Syria's official news agency SANA put the number at 31.

State television said the army offensive would continue until it controlled the main road linking the provincial capital Hassakeh and the city of Qamishli.

"ISIL has launched counter-attacks on regime checkpoints, while the regime fortifies its positions with support from local Arab tribes," Abdel Rahman said.
He said Kurdish fighters were meanwhile also battling ISIL alongside Arab tribes outside the village of Tal Tamr in Hassakeh's southwest.
But ISIL has reportedly refused to fire back to avoid giving away their positions.
Toughest enemies
Redur Khalil, YPG spokesperson, confirmed to AFP that the Kurdish fighters were conducting "attack-and-retreat operations" with ISIL fighters on two fronts.
The YPG militia has been one of ISIL's toughest enemies in Syria, helping flush the group out of Kobane on the Turkish border.
ISIL launched an attack last week on the areas around Kurdish-controlled Tal Tamr and kidnapped 220 Assyrian Christians from 11 villages. Nineteen of them were freed on Sunday after ransoms were paid.
Control of Hassakeh province is split between ISIL, regime fighters and Kurdish forces, with overlap at a number of points.

Government forces withdrew from most of the province in the first few months after the start of Syria's uprising in March 2011, granting greater autonomy to the Kurds.

The area is of strategic importance because it borders both Turkey and Iraq.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has learned that in recent days, Syrian regime air strikes have killed six people and injured 10 others in Ibtaa, a Deraa countryside in south Syria.
Among the victims were refugees from other villages.
Aleppo proposal rejected
More than 200,000 people have been killed in Syria's conflict, which began in March 2011 with popular protests against President Bashar al-Assad and descended into civil war after a crackdown by his security forces.
In another development, Syria's main opposition and rebel factions in the northern city of Aleppo have rejected a proposal by the UN envoy to freeze fighting in parts of the city.
Despite the rejection, Stephane Dujarric, UN spokesperson, said on Monday the UN will continue to pursue a peaceful solution for Syria, where a four-year conflict has killed more than 220,000 people.
Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy, left Syria after talks with officials to try to arrange a "freeze" in fighting in Aleppo, which has been divided into government- and rebel-held districts since mid-2012.
The opposition said in a statement that it refuses to meet de Mistura if the talks are not based on the premise that a comprehensive solution to Syria's crisis includes President Bashar Assad's exit from office.