Kurds detain 13 terrorists in pursuit of IS fighters in Syria

The Kurdish units of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are conducting an operation to eliminate terrorists in Hasakah, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor governorates. This was reported to the Firat agency by the official SDF spokesman Farhad Shami. According to him, Kurdish troops detained 13 Islamic State members group during the sweeping of the Hashman and Al-Aziziya districts. Five of them turned out to be field commanders and foreign mercenaries.

“SDF special forces are pursuing militants in El-Baguz on the east bank of the Euphrates where there used to be a major ISIS outpost,” Shami said. “Four dangerous terrorists were eliminated there on Monday, and 12 more were taken prisoner.” The Kurdish commander said that the operation, carried out with the assistance of the Western coalition forces, will continue for another three days.

In turn, the Al-Ekhbariya TV channel emphasizes the fact that the SDF sent additional troops to the north-eastern regions in the context of the unrest of the Arab tribes. According to them, skirmishes between Kurds and Arab militias occurred earlier in 14 settlements, and both sides suffered losses in killed and wounded.

On July 24, the sheikhs of local tribes spoke in favor of returning the provinces controlled by the Kurds under the sovereignty of the Syrian state. At a meeting in the city of El Meyadin, they stated that “the SDF has become a puppet establishment protecting US military bases.”

There are about 900 US troops in northeast Syria that are stationed at nine military bases, with the largest one located in Tell Beidar, 620 km from Damascus.