Kurdish forces in Syria announced on Thursday that they had launched an operation against the Islamic State (IS) group in cooperation with the international coalition led by the United States, three days after a deadly attack in the north of the country.
Kurdish fighters declared a state of emergency on Monday following an attack claimed by IS on their headquarters in Raqa that left six dead in their ranks.
“On December 29, our forces, with the participation […] of the international coalition against ISIS, launched the lightning operation of al-Jazeera”, indicated in a press release the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF, alliance of fighters dominated by the Kurds).
The international coalition did not immediately confirm participation in the operation.
This aims to “eliminate the terrorist cells of the IS […] and chase them out of areas that have been the scene of recent terrorist attacks,” the FDS said.
The Kurdish forces recall in particular the attack on Monday against the headquarters of the Kurdish forces in Raqa, the perpetrators of which, however, failed to release jihadists from prison.
They also mention “eight attempted attacks […] against the al-Hol (displaced) camp and in areas in Deir Ezzor and Hassaké”, in the northeast.
Supported by the international coalition, the SDF spearheaded the fight against IS, driven from its strongholds in Syria in 2019, after a meteoric rise in power in 2014 and the conquest of vast territories in this country and in the world. neighboring Iraq.
But despite the loss of its strongholds in these two countries, the group continues to carry out attacks there.
In its claim for the attack on Monday, IS said it wanted to “revenge” the jihadists detained by Kurdish forces.
In September, Kurdish forces announced the arrest of more than 200 jihadists in the Al-Hol camp since the start of an operation launched in late August following an upsurge in IS attacks.