Syria Support Movement solidarity with the Syrian people
from the News Desk at The Cradle, June 11, 2023
According to a report from the Syrian state-run news agency SANA, the US forces carried out an airdrop operation in Syria’s northern Hasakah province in the town of al-Shadadi on 11 June, killing one civilian and injuring several others.
According to local sources, the US operation was conducted in collaboration with the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). These sources added that US troops also fired indiscriminately at the locals’ homes and agricultural land as the SDF cordoned off the area and prevented civilians from leaving.
The US military had previously stationed its weaponry and equipment in northeastern Syria with the incentive of allegedly preventing local oil fields from falling under ISIS control. However, governmental officials in Damascus say that Washington sent its troops to Syria with the intent of plundering the country’s resources. Former US president Donald Trump has also previously affirmed that the US forces in Syria stayed for the oil.
Washington deployed its forces in Syria in 2014 to oust the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, claiming that their deployment of troops in Syria was to specifically combat Takfiri militias such as ISIS, sustaining its occupation past 2019 after the Syrian government and its allies defeated the bulk of the ISIS remnants.
Earlier this week, the SDF imposed a siege on the government-controlled areas near the northeastern city of Qamishli, detaining 150 Syrian officers and soldiers, according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.
Some reports suggest the SDF siege near Qamishli is related to the ongoing operation by the Syrian army on two Aleppo neighborhoods, Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh. These neighborhoods have been under the control of the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), an ally of the SDF, since 2012.
However, the Lebanese newspaper says that the SDF is escalating these recent tensions as a result of its frustration over recent Russian and Iranian-sponsored efforts to normalize Syrian-Turkish relations.
In the last few months, Syria has held negotiations with SDF representatives. While somewhat positive, several complications remain.
Despite the dialogue, there is not yet any solid basis for an agreement between Syria and the SDF. However, the Kurdish militia has expressed an openness to merging with the Syrian army.
