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The so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces” (the Kurdish People’s Protection Units – YPG – and some Arab units) have seized about 60 villages in the Syrian province of Raqqah.
On December 20, Kurdish forces seized areas left by ISIS northwest of the al-Tabqa Dam.
On December 21, YPG units seized Ghadban, West Jabar, East Jabar and Qala’at Jaber and deployed in a striking distance from the al-Tabqa Dam.
The al-Tabqa Dam is the target of the YPG offensive.
Then, Kurdish forces will likely focus on purging ISIS terrorists from the area northwest of Raqqah.
Finally, someone is using mobile warfare to encircle large numbers of ISIS soldiers!
What happened to the ISIS members who were encircled near the river a couple days ago, were they exterminated or imprisoned? Hard to find useful info about this outside of SouthFront…
Kurds don´t usually exterminate their prisoners unlike Daesh or the so called ¨moderate opposition ¨militias backed by Turkey or as the turks themselves do more often than not as a matter of fact !!
The area was practically unoccupied by daesh.
Im sure they havent entcirkled any large ISIS numbers. They dont do that. A few could be left to pretend, they are still there or a big group is hidden for counterattack, when everybody else is clam. They might be resting and sleeping – And in that kind od terrain they can easy cros the very thin line.
In a telegram at an other South article is written, they have retreated. It means they has long time ago fortified the northern bank of Tabqa dam as defence line. Here I can see the big water channel for the dam an all the way around Raqqa is the best to get. Just north of that, there is a town with hard bricks. That could be obvius having fortified as well.
You can only surprice them by weapons they dont have.
To me it could be like Turks taking Al Bab right away with everything they got smashing from Al Rai whatever price and protecting their supply line of course including heavy airstrikes and using their attack helicopters as well.
And then – clean up the 3 separated areas they got out of it.
As long as You fight like ISIS or close to, You are at their turf and give them chances. Turks are the only ones, which could do that. They have the equipment and the soldiers.
Well, thats my speculations about that.
Or, alot of isis boys went down south to palmyra instead of reinforcing raqqa, which could have changed now with the kurd offensive.
Yes, they came from somewhere. Most guesses are Ramadis.
We will see, if they can make a proper Raqqa defence.
In some of the small desert villages S of Mosul liberated by Shia militias, it was reported that some where occupied by only 6 ISUS! A half squad with perhaps 1 or 2 vehicles. Just enough to “keep the peace”. Mobility and surprise is their #1 weapon.
Her biji YPG/YPJ/SDF !!
I wish the Kurds well but this will follow the Mosul pattern. They will take the outer villages easily but then get bogged down once they reach a big city like Raqqa with urban warfare and this is if the Turks stay off their backs.
Not applicable. Kurds won their battles easily around Mosul. Iraqis are only ones fighting in Mosul now, and they are winning..already have taken a fourth of Mosul.
Peshmergas were never intended to enter Mosul. That’s the agreement they had. Only Irakis set foot in the city.
That’s because the best of the IS Infantry is occupied in Palmyra, Netanyahu has offered FSA associates free hospitalization in israel, Syrians can never reenter Syria after setting foot in israel but the plan is painted in bold letters YPG, SDF, FSA all the same brand of traitor, the Caliphate believe that they will be installed into Raqqah and that leaves Palmyra as second prize that will be given to IS by the US to keep the conflict alive but toned down.
The best thing to do is Not to make any peace in Idlib, Erdogan can make a choice FSA Terrorists or My Salifist Brothers in Religion being very dirty on Turkey. FSA are pusseys.
That’s because ISIS has been armed and managed by US and NATO.
And all the Troopers are stoned on Captagon in battle, is that a plus or a minus, only winning matters, if FSA are going to be lauded and protected by this UNSC res.2328 so Raqqah becomes FSA estate and we eventually get Palmyra Baghdadi will inherit everything from Zawahiri except Afghanistan, FSA will keep the war going forever, but Eredogan will have to betray the anti KSA factions of extremists and remake the BH, Salafists won’t wear that and will most likely join PKK because Turkey will be the nearest enemy, Iraq and Syria doesn’t make the headlines Turkey does.
The U.S. backed coalition forces are the only credible force fighting Daesh. Meanwhile, Russia/Syria/Iran: triumvirate of incompetents. Russian/Syrian/Iranian motto: “Lie, Deny, Obfuscate, Cheat, Cover Up, and Lie again”. What a bunch of losers. Leadership nothing but a bunch of dishonorable dictators.
Appreciate your sense of humor. Keep posting. It’s festive season
Truth hurts doesn’t it….LOL
The Kurds had a hell of a time taking Manbij. You forgot to mention FSA/TU forces, are they credible or losers? Please tell all. It’s all good, pushing ISUS on all fronts. SAA #1 priority was E Aleppo, and it has fallen. Where to next?
I’m very Pro USA in almost every regard, but not with regards to Russia. My eyes were opened during the Russian war with Georgia, when I realized how badly the Americans and BOTH left/right wing media were lying.
I can’t really blame Americans for thinking this way – it’s hard to find the truth when literally 100% of your sources agree on the same lie.
You should do a bit more reading on the Russian/Assad position regarding Syria… just make sure to avoid the handful of paranoid schizophrenics who claim the US is providing ISIS with weapons, or who can’t write a sentence without talking about “CIA/Mossad”.
Truth?? The Russians INVADED Georgia; the Russians INVADED Ukraine. Very despicable leadership. You should check your sources and become more educated as to the realities in the Middle East.
I also believed that Russia invaded Georgia, until I was challenged on this case and realized how brainwashed I was on this topic. The same friend who opened by eyes on the Ruso/Georgian war also educated me about the war in Ukraine – he is from Eastern Ukraine and thus is in a good position to provide me with accurate information.
First of all a bit of background on Eastern Ukraine: Even through my Friend is technically Ukrainian, he has always considered himself Russian, as do almost all Eastern Ukrainians. Also like most Eastern Ukrainians, his native language is Russian and not Ukrainian.
Basically the United States supported the overthrow of a democratically elected (but corrupt) President that was pro-Russian. The government that replaced him pledged to pivot away from Russia and there was talk of Ukraine eventually joining NATO.
This freaked out the Russians, since they would lose their only Naval base on the Black Sea. This would be a huge blow to Russia, as they would lose all access to the Mediterranean and even their ability to transit the Atlantic Ocean. Thus they decided to take back the area hosting this naval base, known as Crimea.
Not only is Ukraine basically a core region of Russia as far as Russia is concerned, the Crimea itself was literally a PART of Russia until they decided to give it to Ukraine in 1954 to facilitate administration – a change that meant little when Ukraine and Russia were both part of the Soviet Union. This is why the people of Crimea, such as my friend, speak Russian and have always considered themselves to be Russian.
It is difficult to overstate the strategic importance of the Crimean naval base to Russia. By continuing to expand NATO eastwards and taking concrete measures to neuter Russia’s strategic capabilities, the United States forced Russia to make a decision: Either take back Crimea, which is Russian anyways, or suffer a devastating strategic blow.
Imagine is Russia helped Texas secede and then decided to place nuclear missiles there. The United States government would surely invade Texas in response, and rightfully so. To describe such an event as “American aggression” would simply demonstrate a lack of knowledge and understanding, or bias.
LOL. Your posts are very amusing. Crimea was ceded to Ukraine in the 1950’s. Of course, Ukraine became a separate country with the dissolution of the Soviet Bloc in 1991. So, for 25 years Ukraine has been an independent country. Russia had as much right to that base as the U.S. does to Veracruz.
Your analogy supporting Russia’s right to the base and Ukraine is similar to the argument Hitler used to justify taking the Sudetenland in 1938.
As to your Texas analogy, total garbage reasoning. Texas is part of the U.S., in case you didn’t know. Ukraine is not part of Russia. I’m afraid you need to work on your objective reasoning a bit more. By your argument, the U.S. should still have the Panama Canal and many other territories (Philippines, Cuba, etc.) Mexico could claim part of the U.S. Wait, there are a lot of Americans living in Mexico and Canada. Maybe we have a claim.
Kurds are best fighting force in the Middle East. Annihilating Daesh and have from the very beginning.
Kurds and Israelis!!
apparently turks are the worse fighters
May we know how’s that a good news for Syrian people? Is the author of this article supportive of US NATO Balkanization of Syria?
YPG SDF are formidable forces. And believe me, there are arabs and turkmen and christians with them.
Tabqa Dam is reportedly not the objective, though in the line of advance, actual objectve is the Baath Dam about 18 kms further downstream.