Members of the Popular Mobilization Units march during a parade marking the annual al-Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Baghdad, Iraq, July 1, 2016. IMAGE: REUTERS/Khalid al-Mousily
The large-scale ISIS attack on positions of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the area of Hajin in the Syrian province of Deir Ezzor has triggered a serious concern among Iraqi military leadership. While the SDF continues to claim that the situation in the area remains under full control, the real situation seems to be quite different. Since the start of the ISIS advance last weekend, the terrorist group has captured at least some of the SDF positions there.
The Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) released an official statement saying that the PMU is mobilizing its troops and sending reinforcements to the border with Syria. The PMU move is designed to prevent ISIS terrorists attacking the SDF from entering Iraqi territory.
According to some reports, ISIS units have laready captured some former SDF positions near the border. However, clashes are now ongoing there. In the worst-case scenario, the ISIS attack may once again destabilizt the Syrian-Iraqi border area for some period.
The Hajin pocket has for a long time been the ISIS only major stronghold in Syria. The US-led coalition and its “partners” from the SDF were not hurrying to deal with this threat because the ISIS presence in Syria provides for the US a formal justification to keep forces in the war-torn country. However, now it seems that this approach may have caused some problems for the US proxies.
The analysis “Popular Mobilization Units: Military Capabilities, Their Role In Iraq and Middle East” was originally released on August 27, 2017:
Give the Syrian Army a chance! Let them cross the Euphrates!
Its hard to do that when the amerinazis control tabqa dam.
What about giving the PMU a chance ?.
There’s probably a very obvious reason which I have missed somewhere along the way but I don’t know why the SAA can’t get involved in this situation? And what happened to the Syrian Tiger forces?
Clearly you have not been following this war very closely…
Ed, everytime saa tries to crosse the river, usa , who controls tabqa damn, floods the river to hinder saa.
And also in the grand scheme of things…i feel it was more important to secure damascus countryside and southern syria where most of the people live than crossing the river for some oil.
I understand revenue is needed, no point in having money if your people are dead.
Have a nice day!
Yep. That makes the Euphrates too deep to wade across.
Bill, just a question for you.
Have you ever participated in bridge construction?
… and they would do what ?, with what is also on the hit list. What is the big problem in allowing the SDF and ISIS allegedly kill each other.
Well, looks like they may have broken through already. Unconfirmed reports say that they used an ATGM missile against an Iraqi Army pickup stationed at the Iraqi-Syrian border which resulted in the killing of 4 Iraqi soldiers. Look out Iraq, Daesh are coming back with a vengeance!
I thought the Americans and SDF were gonna smash ISIS?….
What a fucking joke
Been waiting on the SAA to do the same thing!
Lol der ez zor was liberated..no thanks to your dipshit army.
Are you one of them ?.
Usual US/Israeli troll
Oh thanks. Can I submit my time sheet now Billy Bob III Jr.?.
hahahaha, they are same same.
well FUKUS controls both sides, this area needs some serious russian/syrian airstrikes methinks :)))
Yesterday Isis had regained most of the ground they’d recently lost to the SDF, but today they’ve taken back every bit of ground they originally lost, not only that, it’s actually looking like they’re about to take some ground from either the SDF, the SAA or the Iraqis. I think their real goal is Abu Kamal across the river in SAA territory, the Iraqis must think so too since they sent their own reinforcements there yesterday to assist the SAA defend the town. The Iraqis have their side of the border under full control and don’t have an Isis presence anywhere near where this fighting is taking place, so I don’t think they’re really worried about their side of the border, but they are worried about Abu Kamal in Syria, it’s only 10 km away from one of their own towns. Abu Kamal has at least 1500 Isis fighters stationed across the river within 5 to 10 km of the township, they also have an Isis presence to their west in the desert areas south of Dier ez Zor, and there’s also another group that occasionally ventures up from the 55 km exclusion zone around the US base at Al-Tanf. On top of that the operation in Al-Hasakah that capture and killed only 400 Isis fighters from the estimated 5000 supposedly there, means there’s another 4600 Isis fighters still out there somewhere just waiting to make a move, I wouldn’t mind betting they’re moving into areas around Abu Kamal and just waiting for their chance to strike. I hope Assad starts sending more reinforcements to Abu Kamal, they might be needed very soon. The US would love to see Isis break out of the Hajin siege and overrun the SAA at Abu Kamal, they might even help them do it, remember the 100 SAA killed at Dier ez-Zor and the territory Isis gained in that so called accident.