Ain Issa: SDF caught between military confrontation with Ankara and submission to Damascus s demands – Syria Direct syriadirect.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from syriadirect.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Tuesday, 23 February, 2021 - 09:45
The humanitarian corridor in northwestern Syria’s Saraqib empty of civilians (Asharq Al-Awsat) Idlib- Firas Karam
Russian forces in Syria attempted pressuring the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into giving up control of some areas near the Ain Issa subdistrict, located northeast of the war-torn country.
This coincided with Russian forces also announcing plans for opening a humanitarian corridor between areas controlled by opposition armed factions and regime-held territory in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province.
A UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported the death of three fighters from the Turkey-backed Suleiman Shah faction and the injury of seven others after SDF fighters fired a heat-seeking missile at frontlines in Al-Musharefah town in Ain Issa.
Russians pull out from Syrian town previously targeted by Turkish-backed forces 2021/02/22 10:09
The Russian army last year established new points in Ain Issa to prevent further Turkish attacks. (Photo: Social media)
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The Syria-based Rojava Information Center (RIC) on Sunday evening reported that Russian forces had pulled out from the main base in Ain Issa in northeast Syria, possibly in a bid to pressure the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to make a deal with the Assad government.
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Military sources in Ayn Issa have confirmed that the troops stationed at the main Russian military base in the city, located in the southeast, pulled back to Til Samen, 20 km south, leaving some troops only in the three shared bases north of the city. pic.twitter.com/eHpdG7uncx
A Positive Step Amidst Syrian Chaos-Moscow brings Israeli and Syrian officials together
Posted on Syria is still in a state of chaos, and unending bloodletting. Russia is however trying to play a constructive role in facilitating a dialogue between the Assad regime and Israel. Although it is not aimed at bringing peace, it might be helpful at some point. In the meantime, the Turks are pushing deeper into northeastern Syria in an effort to thwart the Kurdish dream of some form of self-determination. The Turkish army has attacked the town of Ain Issa, 45 kilometers from the Turkish border and inside Syria’s Kurdish area. Its location, on the M4 highway, happens to be where the headquarters of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Front (SDF) is located. The SDF is a US ally in the fight against the Islamic State terrorists. Turkish army attacks forced thousands of Kurds to flee from their homes to the city of Raqqa, 55km to the south.