US-backed Syrian force resumes ground assault on Daesh

Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), visit a cemetary during the funeral of a fellow fighter, killed in an offensive by the Islamic State (IS) group against an SDF position, in the Kurdish-controlled city of Qamishly in northeastern Syria, on November 11, 2018. (AFP)

• The Kurdish-led SDF said its operations in the Deir Ezzor area had restarted
• Turkey views Kurdish influence in northern Syria as a national security threat

AMMAN: The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday it had resumed a ground assault against Daesh in its last foothold near the Iraqi border, following the suspension of the offensive last month after Turkish shelling of northern Syria.
The Kurdish-led SDF said its operations in the Deir Ezzor area had restarted as the result of “intensive contacts between our forces’ leadership and the international coalition and active diplomatic efforts aimed at defusing the crisis on the (Turkish-Syrian) border.”
In a statement, the SDF said it was committed to continuing operations “to eliminate (Daesh).”
The US-led coalition kept up air strikes in the Deir Ezzor area despite the pause in SDF operations.
Turkey views Kurdish influence in northern Syria as a national security threat. The SDF is spearheaded by the Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara views as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency in Turkey.