A representative of the United States-backed faction in Syria’s resurgent civil war has warned that the Islamic State militant group (ISIS) was poised to take advantage of the nationwide chaos brought on by a large-scale rebel offensive that has reversed years of government gains.
The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and Turkey-backed Syrian National Army launched their surprise push last week and have since seized the country’s second-largest city of Aleppo, Hama to the south, and appear to be closing in the strategically located Homs.
Unrest has spread elsewhere in the country as well, with Syrian troops reportedly leaving their positions in the east and ISIS rapidly moving in. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which leads the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) with the support of United States troops, has mobilized to defend against both Turkey-backed rebels and ISIS on two fronts as the Syrian military’s lines of control collapse.
“The Syrian Democratic Forces are concerned about the social structure of the Syrian people in the areas controlled by the Authority and the factions supported by Turkey,” Sinam Mohamad, the representative of the SDF-affiliated Syrian Democratic Council in Washington, told Newsweek. “This concern is also reflected in our areas.”
“The dramatic collapse of the regime forces creates a vacuum that will certainly be exploited by the Islamic State organization ISIS, which still poses a threat to the region as a whole,” she said.
Syrian Kurds flee areas north of Aleppo arrive in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqqa, on December 3, amid a large-scale rebel offensive and renewed ISIS attacks.
Syrian Kurds flee areas north of Aleppo arrive in Tabqa, on the western outskirts of Raqqa, on December 3, amid a large-scale rebel offensive and renewed ISIS attacks.
DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images
The SDF and Syrian government, led by President Bashar al-Assad and backed by Iran and Russia, have alternatively clashed and allied with one another at times. Both sides view rebels and ISIS as a threat to their respective positions. They waged largely separate offensives to defeat ISIS after it seized large parts of the country a decade ago.
While these campaigns largely dismantled ISIS’ self-proclaimed caliphate, the group has retained militant cells in the country and thousands of fighters and families remain held in SDF-led prisons. ISIS has also stepped up attacks abroad in recent years, particularly through its Afghanistan-based Khorasan branch.
In Syria, both Syrian troops and SDF forces have operated in the northeast alongside their respective allies. However, with Syrian troops appearing to abandon their positions adjacent to SDF-held territory amid the rebel offensive in the northwest, SDF spokesperson Farhad Shami announced Friday that the group had deployed fighters to secure the key eastern city of Deir Ezzor.
“The developments taking place in our homeland, Syria, pose a threat to the security of our people and our Deir Ezzor region,” Shami said in a statement. “In particular, Turkish occupation-backed mercenary groups and ISIS mercenaries are reactive in the Deir Ezzor desert.”
“Accordingly, in order to protect our people, our Deir Ezzor Military Council fighters were deployed in the Deir Ezzor city and west of the Euphrates River,” he added. “Our primary objective is to protect our security and the security of our people. We are committed to fulfilling this historic mission to the fullest extent.”
The SDF had also attempted to secure defensive positions in majority-Kurdish areas of Aleppo, Tel Rifaat and al-Shibah, but rebels appear to have severed links between these regions and the AANES.
At the same time, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s political wing, the Syrian Salvation Government, issued a statement last Saturday promising to guarantee the security of Kurdish communities. Still, large numbers of Kurdish people have evacuated toward SDF-held territory.
Mohamad said the Syrian Democratic Council was aware of the rebels’ vows to respect Syrian diversity but was also preparing for any outcome, including through close coordination with the U.S.
“As for the other factions involved under the leadership of the Authority, we see and receive a promise for the sake of Syria for all, but we are waiting for words to turn into actions,” Mohamad said.
“We are ready for all scenarios, and certainly the safety of our people is at the top of our priorities,” she continued. “As for Washington, it is aware of what is happening in Syria and the extent of the risks, and we have open channels with them regarding the issues of combating terrorism and terrorist organizations.”
She said that the SDF has opted to remain focused on the battle against ISIS.
“The Syrian Democratic Forces have never fought or attacked any force in Syria except those terrorist organizations,” Mohamad said. “The SDF has taken the position of defending the gains of the people in northeastern Syria and has closely monitored the latest situation in Syria. The SDF will not fight on behalf of anyone in order to achieve the political interests of others.”
A Syrian rebel fighter poses next to an armored personnel carrier left behind by U.S.-backed SDF fighters in the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 2.
A Syrian rebel fighter poses next to an armored personnel carrier left behind by U.S.-backed SDF fighters in the northern Syrian town of Tal Rifaat on December 2.
AREF TAMMAWI/AFP/Getty Images
The rebel advances mark the most dramatic shifts in years for Syria’s civil war, which began in 2011 after anti-government protests and crackdowns by security forces devolved into armed conflict. Then, too, the Syrian government lost control of key cities and swathes of territory, only to reverse these losses later into the conflict.
But the successive losses of Aleppo and Hama to insurgents and the imminent threat of losing Homs puts Assad in one of the most precarious positions throughout the 13-year conflict. An insurgent capture of Homs would leave Syria’s western coastline, a stronghold of Assad’s Alawite sect, isolated from the rest of the nation and allow the opposition forces to also push toward the government-held capital of Damascus to the south.
Iran and factions of its Axis of Resistance coalition, particularly Iraq-based militias such as the Nujaba Movement, have pledged their support for Assad. Meanwhile, the Lebanese Hezbollah, long considered the most powerful Axis of Resistance faction that played a key role in past Syrian government offensives against rebels, is today reeling from a 14-month battle with Israel in connection with the ongoing war in Gaza.
Assad’s government has continued to express confidence in its ability to mount a counterattack against the rebels with the aid of its allies, including Russia, whose warplanes continue to strike insurgents.
“Our valiant armed forces are carrying out a qualitative operation towards Dar al-Kabira – Talbiseh – Rastan in the northern countryside of Homs, with cover from the joint Syrian-Russian aircraft, artillery, missiles and armored forces, eliminating dozens of terrorists amidst a state of panic, confusion and mass flight in their ranks, and destroying a large number of their vehicles, equipment and weapons,” the Syrian Defense Ministry in a statement said Friday.
Omar Rahmoun, the spokesperson for Syria’s National Reconciliation Committee, said that Moscow and Tehran remained committed to the Syrian government’s defense.
“The position of Russia and Iran for fourteen years and until now is a fixed position in standing by the Syrian state and supporting it against the Takfiri groups,” Rahmoun told Newsweek, referring to Sunni Islamists who consider other sects of Islam such as Alawites and other Shiite Muslims to be apostates.
“Both countries confirmed their position in support of Syria,” he added, “especially in light of the recent developments.”
Rahmoun also said that the Syrian government has received “Arab support” as well in light of recent calls between Assad and the heads of Iraq and the United Arab Emirates.
As for Turkey and the U.S., he argued that both nations “have a major role in arming and supporting the opposition, especially in the recent attack.”
“Turkish support for the factions is clear, even if Turkey denies it because Turkey has ambitions in Syrian territory,” Rahmoun said. “It seeks to achieve its goals under the banner of supporting the opposition. Certainly, the recent attack will make the solution difficult, complicate matters, and reduce the chances of a political solution.”
Iranians protest in front of the Turkish embassy in Tehran against Turkey’s support of an Islamist-dominated rebel alliance battling the government in Syria, on December 2.
Iranians protest in front of the Turkish embassy in Tehran against Turkey’s support of an Islamist-dominated rebel alliance battling the government in Syria, on December 2.
ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly criticized the U.S. for its support of the SDF, which Ankara considers to be an offshoot of the militant Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK). Turkish forces and partnered rebel groups such as the Syrian National Army have conducted attacks against SDF positions throughout the war.
The U.S., which is allied to Turkey through NATO, has occasionally condemned such attacks but has largely directed its operations against ISIS and Iran-backed militias that have stepped up rocket and drone attacks against U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria throughout the conflict in Gaza.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Tuesday that it had conducted strikes against weapons systems after a rocket attack against U.S. troops at a position in eastern Syria.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Major General Pat Ryder asserted that defeating ISIS remained the goal of the U.S. deployment in Syria and its partnership with the SDF.
“Our forces are in Syria to conduct a counter-ISIS operation, right, the enduring defeat of ISIS. They have partnered with the SDF on those missions,” Ryder said. “Certainly, they communicate with the SDF on a frequent basis, as partners do. But our forces in that region were threatened. We took action to mitigate that threat and will do so again.”
He asserted that the U.S. had “no role” in the situation in northwestern Syria and also did not actively coordinate with the SDF on its seizure of government-held positions in the east, where he said he was so far unaware of any “significant” ISIS operations.
“Our forces are in Syria to conduct the enduring defeat of ISIS mission,” Ryder said. “We’re doing that in partnership with the SDF. And I’m just going to leave it there.”