A Kurdish-led force backed by a U.S.-led anti-militant coalition said Sunday that it was resuming its offensive against Daesh (ISIS) in eastern Syria.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish alliance, had announced it was suspending its operation in Deir al-Zor on October 31 after Turkey shelled Kurdish militia posts in northern Syria.
The SDF said the resumption followed "intensive contacts" with the international coalition and "strong diplomatic activity" to defuse the crisis.
"The leadership of the Syrian Democratic Forces has decided to resume military operations against the Islamic State group [Daesh], and work towards its definitive defeat," the force said in an online statement.
"While it remains determined to chase down terrorism, [the SDF] also confirms its determination to protect the northern border of Syria," it added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights activist group said the operation had not yet restarted, but that SDF reinforcements had been sent to the area.
However it said the international coalition had continued to conduct air raids on the area, killing dozens of militants as well as civilians.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of contacts across Syria, has reported near-daily Turkish shelling in Kurdish areas since late October, which killed five Kurdish fighters.
But Sunday it said coalition officials had assured Kurdish forces that Turkey would cease its shelling, adding that there had been no bombardment there since Friday.
AFP
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