Early on December 18, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) launched an attack on the town of Ain Issa in the northern countryside of Raqqa.
The attack came after weeks of speculations. Many reports spoke about a Turkish plan to push the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) out of Ain Issa and many other towns on the M4 highway.
SNA militants advanced towards the towns of Mushayrifah and Jableh, which are a no man’s land. Turkish artillery and combat drones provided the militants with fire support.
While the Hawar News Agency reported heavy clashes near Ain Issa, Major Youssef Hammoud, a spokesman for the SNA, said the attack was a “limited military operation.”
SNA sources said the attack was a “response” to an infiltration attempt by SDF fighters, claiming that Turkish-backed militants have withdrawn from Mushayrifah and Jableh.
Click to see full-size map. Source: (@Suriyakmaps) on Twitter, Via Google Maps – TerraMetrics
Ain Issa hosts a center of the Russian Military Police. Several Syrian Arab Army (SAA) positions are located around the town. Nevertheless, Russian and Syrian forces are not taking part in the ongoing clashes.
Earlier this month, the SDF and Damascus reached a new agreement that allowed the SAA to establish three new “observation posts” around Ain Issa. The agreement came after pressure from Russia, which warned the SDF of a near Turkish attack on the town.
Co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council [the policies wing of the SDF], Amina Omar, alleged on December 18 that Russia is pressuring the SDF into handing Ain Issa over to Damascus.
The ongoing Turkish attack on Ain Issa appears to be limited. The clashes may end in the upcoming few hours. However, tensions around the town will remain as long as the SDF is not willing to make any concessions to Turkey, or Russia.
good. and the the jews in palestine!
ALHAMDULILLAH pkk and little israel is crushed
The ain Issa area is an area of interest for France!
Lafarge had a large cement.plant in the area, from this plant, support was given to ISIS/ SDF and chums over the years by the french miltary and intelligence agencies.
Go for it Turkey, STICK IT TO EM!!!
Two wrongs don’t make a right, two imperialist powers fighting over land that isn’t theirs
It still aint theirs. No worries.
Well believe it or not but that plant (now just an empty ruined building like so many others) was there legally before the war, Erdoganian and American military forces on the other hand are all illegal invaders.
UNICEF feeding our children is a humiliation that lays bare a broken system – is the UK a 3rd-world country now? https://www.rt.com/op-ed/510022-unicef-feeding-children-uk-hungry/
Well i live in the UK,its become an Oligarchy,its an absolute disgrace that UNICEF are feeding some of our kids.
“However, tensions around the town will remain as long as the SDF is not willing to make any concessions to Turkey, or Russia.”
That says it all, concessions to Turkey or Russia, which translates into Putin’s just kissing Erdogan’s ass again. And having the SAA take control of certain locations is no guarantee the Turks will stop attacking those locations, “Ain-Issa: A commander in the SDF, Aziz Kharbaisan: Turkish army targeted the SDF-SAA-RU joint observation point east of Ain Issa silos, wounding a SAA soldier. There was no response by the Russian and SAA.” So the Turks even target the OB posts that are jointly run by Russia, the SAA, and the SDF, so great deterrent hey. Now Biden’s won the US presidency the Kurds/SDF will have less incentive to do what the Syrian Government wants them to do, so Russia and Turkey effectively blackmailing the SDF/Kurds isn’t the right answer to that problem, I think that’ll actually give them even less reason to cooperate with the Syrian Government, but Russia forcing the Turks to turn the water back on might help. The Turks have turned off the water supply for 3 weeks now, and as part of the Russian Turkish memorandum of Understanding the Turks were supposed to ensure the steady supply of water, but they haven’t, they’ve instead used it as a tool for blackmail and reprisal, get that sorted out before you ask for anything else Russia, people are really suffering.
isn’t SDF US invention? as I recall SDF (rebranded YPG) fought SAA east of Euphrates, so it seems Turks are doing a favor. Also SDF commander made confession few days ago admitting PKK and YPG(SDF) connections, so its kind of logical move Turks did afterwards.
The SDF has more Arabs than Kurds serving in the military now, so calling them YPG is utter nonsense, and what about the Turkmen and Christians who serve in the SDF, are they pro YPG in any way, especially the Turkmen. Trump changed the SDF ethnic dynamic big time, Erdogan can no longer accuse the SDF of being just a legitimate proxy for the YPG. SDF total forces 100,000, approximately 50,000 Arabs, 40,000 Kurds, 5,000 Turkmen, 3,000 Christians, and the rest everyone else. And if you didn’t know it already, the Turkish backed Syrian National Council which is a member of the Turkish backed Syrian Interim Government [the opposition gov in Idlib and Aleppo], just entered a power sharing deal with the Syrian Democratic Council, and they’re the SDF’s bosses, so don’t believe the BS propaganda. Erdogan’s just done a power sharing deal with the Kurds via the SNC deal and he’s still saying the Kurds are a problem, LOL, they just kissed his butt harder than Putin ever does and he’s still not happy, which means he’s just looking for any excuse to invade, even if he has to make one up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t0f9GmTs_U
You’re going way back to 2015 when they were first created during the Obama administration, Trump purposely changed the ethnic and political dynamic of the SDF when he took over the presidency, they’re no longer just a Kurdish army and their military arm follows the Syrian Democratic Councils orders now, and the SDC is a multi ethnic multi party central government that gives the SDF it’s orders. The Kurdish parties only hold 19 or 20 of the total 43 seats on the SDC, the Arabs, Turkmen, Christians and others hold all the rest. The SDF has changed completely during the last five years, posting something that described what they once were is pointless, find something that explains the current dynamic if you want to know exactly who the SDF and SDC are, not something 5 years old and created during another presidents term. Just try the wiki to see what they CURRENTLY have to say about the SDF, or anything at all that CURRENTLY describes who and what the SDF are now, and president Assad is the one who tells you who the SDF are better than anyone else, listen to what Assad has to say about the SDF, I agree with Assad 100%, see if you do to, but as I said only search for current dates, don’t go back more than 2 years.
don’t bother about willing conscience, not worth the trouble or the time.
Indeed, as if NDF and SDF are the same.