Kurds gain ground at Nusra's expense in Aleppo
The Kurdish-majority Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) made advances at Jabhat al-Nusra’s expense in Syria’s Aleppo on Wednesday seizing a hill situated along a strategically important road in that area.
The advance comes on the fifth day of the US-Russian brokered ceasefire in the country. However, as AP, points out this latest offensive is unlikely to undermine that ceasefire since Nusra and the Islamic State (ISIS) are excluded from it.
The SDF seem poised to encircle Nusra in that part of Syria. Nusra had previously bombarded Kurdish villages in the Syrian Kurdish Afrin Canton. The SDF hope to link-up with the Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud (which Nusra reportedly shelled, wounding around 20) and put further pressure on the opposition-held eastern districts of the city.
The SDF has been accused of collaborating with the Syrian regime and the Russians. While it is not at war with either of them it has been attacked by ISIS and Nusra in the past and sees them as a fundamental threat to their continued existence.
Turkey has opposed the Kurdish advance in the northwest fearing that they will come to dominate Syria’s northern border and in doing so sever supply lines to Turkish-Saudi and Qatari backed group fighting the regime in Damascus.
Turkey and Russia again traded accusations on Wednesday. Turkey denied a Russian claim that it is sending arms to its proxies in Syria and said that Russia was only parroting such a claim to cover up its war crimes in the country.
Turkey also said it has struck only ISIS with its cross-border artillery attacks since the implementation of the ceasefire on Saturday. It had previously been shelling Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) fighters in the northwest in an attempt to halt their advance against Nusra forces in Azaz.
The Russian defense ministry also, according to Reuters, reported that the ceasefire was holding and announced it had signed a total of 40 agreements with opposition groups and said that more are currently being negotiated “with the leaders of 11 more armed groups.”
Also on Wednesday a car bomb targeting US-backed Syrian rebels in the southern Syrian province of Quneitra killed 18 and wounded dozens more.
The advance comes on the fifth day of the US-Russian brokered ceasefire in the country. However, as AP, points out this latest offensive is unlikely to undermine that ceasefire since Nusra and the Islamic State (ISIS) are excluded from it.
The SDF seem poised to encircle Nusra in that part of Syria. Nusra had previously bombarded Kurdish villages in the Syrian Kurdish Afrin Canton. The SDF hope to link-up with the Kurdish neighbourhood of Sheikh Maqsoud (which Nusra reportedly shelled, wounding around 20) and put further pressure on the opposition-held eastern districts of the city.
The SDF has been accused of collaborating with the Syrian regime and the Russians. While it is not at war with either of them it has been attacked by ISIS and Nusra in the past and sees them as a fundamental threat to their continued existence.
Turkey has opposed the Kurdish advance in the northwest fearing that they will come to dominate Syria’s northern border and in doing so sever supply lines to Turkish-Saudi and Qatari backed group fighting the regime in Damascus.
Turkey and Russia again traded accusations on Wednesday. Turkey denied a Russian claim that it is sending arms to its proxies in Syria and said that Russia was only parroting such a claim to cover up its war crimes in the country.
Turkey also said it has struck only ISIS with its cross-border artillery attacks since the implementation of the ceasefire on Saturday. It had previously been shelling Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) fighters in the northwest in an attempt to halt their advance against Nusra forces in Azaz.
The Russian defense ministry also, according to Reuters, reported that the ceasefire was holding and announced it had signed a total of 40 agreements with opposition groups and said that more are currently being negotiated “with the leaders of 11 more armed groups.”
Also on Wednesday a car bomb targeting US-backed Syrian rebels in the southern Syrian province of Quneitra killed 18 and wounded dozens more.