Syrian soldiers in Tel Rifaat city, Illustrative image
On March 3, soldiers of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and supporters of the Damascus government intercepted yet another convoy of the US-led coalition in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah.
The soldiers and locals prevented the coalition’s convoy, which consisted of several armored vehicles, from entering the town of al-Dadushiyah. After a brief stand-off, the convoy was forced to retreat from the town’s outskirts. The Syrian state TV aired footage of the stand-off.
US forces are still running into problems with the Syrian army in al-Hasakah. pic.twitter.com/ySC1WS2k1C
— Within Syria (@WithinSyriaBlog) March 3, 2022
The stand-off came amid high tensions between government forces and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in al-Hasakah.
Two days earlier, a unit of the SDF attacked a group of SAA soldiers who intercepted a US-led coalition convoy near the village of Ghuzlia in the northern al-Hasakah countryside. Two SDF fighters and two service members of the army were killed.
The SDF’s attack was likely an attempt to intimidate SAA soldiers in al-Hasakah, who have been intercepting US-led coalition convoys for the last few months. As evident by the stand-off in al-Dadushiyah, this attempt failed.
It’s worth noting that several units of the SAA and the Russian Military Police were deployed in al-Hasakah and many other parts of northeastern Syria in October of 2019 to enforce an agreed upon ceasefire between the SDF and Turkish forces, who were conducting a large-scale military operation in the region at the time.
Intercept is not longer enough. Blow up all these convoys!