Clashes renews between ISIS, YPG south of Hasaka

(Zaman al-Wasl) Clashes between Islamic State forces and People’s Protection Units, the military arm of the Democratic Union Party, took place in al-Shaddadah city in the southern countryside of al-Hasakeh. 

Ahmad al-Ali, an activist, said that limited clashes took place between the Islamic State force and members of the Kurdish Protection subordinate to the Democratic Union in the areas surrounding al-Azawi south of al-Shaddadah city after an attack by Islamic State forces on the Kurdish unit checkpoints. Al-Ali added that the results of the attack are still not known for certain except that ISIS members took some Kurdish unit forces prisoners and slaughtered them. 

The activist added that members of ISIS in the town of Markadah targeted the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance locations with a number of rockets. 

Al-Ali indicated that the clashes stopped in the area in the evening hours, and no sounds of explosions or bullets have been heard for hours south of al-Shaddadah. 

A local member of ISIS in southern al-Hasakah, broadcasted a video on his Facebook profile showing a man who admitted he is a member of ISIS before moving to fight with the Kurdish Units. He commented on the video, “in a black security operation, ISIS caught members of the PKK in al-Shaddadah countryside…”

The People’s Protection Unit said in a statement that the Islamic State forces attacked one of its locations 24 kilometer east of al-Shaddadah city at 3 pm, indicating that it fended off the attack and forced ISIS members to retreat. 

A number of Syrian Democratic Force alliance members were killed and injured last Friday following two explosive devices exploding two of the militia’s cars on the al-Shaddadah- gas refinery road and the eastern road connecting the cities of al-Hasakah and al-Shaddadah. 

It must be noted that in February 2016, the Syrian Democratic Alliance under the leadership of the Democratic Union took control of the city of al-Shaddadah city and the villages of al-Arishah as part of the Anger of al-Khabur military campaign against ISIS in which the International Alliance airplanes played a major role. ISIS continues to control Markadah village which is the last of its strongholds south of al-Hasakah.