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The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has released an official statement accusing Russian and Syrian warplanes of conducting airstrikes on the SDF near the industrial area north of Deir Ezzor city. The SDF also demanded “the attacking sides to stop these attacks that do not serve anybody but terrorism and terrorists.”
However, the SDF has not provided any photos or videos confirming their claims.
The pro-Kurdish/US media outlet AHNA provided an English version of the statement (source):
“While SDF forces are achieving great victories against IS [ISIS] mercenaries in al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor [Deir Ezzor] and as terrorism reached their end, some parties are attempting to obstruct SDF progress, consuming the energies that must be used against terrorism in addition to threatening the area’s safety and stirring lateral conflicts aiming and aborting struggles against IS mercenaries.
On Saturday dawn (September 16, 2017) at 03:00, our forces in the eastern part of the Euphrates River were exposed to an attack by the Syrian and Russian regimes warplanes that targeted our forces in the Industrial City and in the result of the attack, 6 fighters got wounded with various wounds.
In addition, this area has been liberated from IS mercenaries, and clashes are still ongoing for purging it completely from IS.
We condemn this aggressive attack and demand the attacking sides to stop these attacks that do not serve anybody but terrorism and terrorists. We also assure that these attacks would not undermine our insistence to fight terrorism and our progress in the area would continue till all the area would be purged completely form IS mercenaries’ abomination.”
Besides the accusations, the statement confirms that the SDF has not reached the western bank of the Euhprates River so far and is still struggling in the industrial area north of Deir Ezzor.
Earlier on Saturday, reports appeared that unknown (according to some media activists, Russian and Syrian) warplanes bombed SDF positions near the industrial area north of Deir Ezzor. Pro-government sources denied the claims that the Syrian Air Force bombed the SDF.
However, if the airstrikes really were conducted (by Russian and or Syrian warplanes), this was a clear signal to the SDF and the US-led coalition.
Probably, the SDF has not expected that the Syrian-Iranian-Russian alliance could implement the same strategy that the US-led coalition has implemented to stop the Syrian Army advance towards At Tand at the Syrian-Iraqi border.
