Sixteen people were killed in battles in eastern Syria as government forces repelled an attack launched by fighters allied with Kurdish forces, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights announced today.
These clashes follow a surprise offensive by an Islamist-led rebel coalition in northwestern Syria on November 27, which captured dozens of areas and significant parts of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city.
In the eastern province of Deir Ezzor, control is divided between government forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, who hold the western bank of the Euphrates River, and local fighters linked to the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who control the eastern bank.
According to the Observatory, a “fragile calm” prevailed today after government forces repelled an attack by fighters allied with the Kurdish forces. The fighting, which began on Tuesday morning, was accompanied by U.S. airstrikes in support of the SDF-allied forces, the Observatory reported.
The clashes claimed the lives of 16 people, including two civilians, 11 soldiers and pro-government fighters, and three fighters from the SDF-allied forces.
The SDF, backed by a U.S.-led international coalition, has been a key force in Syria’s fight against the jihadists of the Islamic State group.
The clashes reportedly took place near the Konoko base, where U.S. forces are stationed. This area includes seven villages controlled by government forces—the only territory on the eastern bank of the Euphrates still held by Syrian authorities, according to the Observatory.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon confirmed responsibility for strikes in Deir Ezzor but did not specify the exact location or target. U.S. forces destroyed rocket launchers, a tank, and artillery shells. “We are still examining who used these weapons, but note that there are pro-Iranian groups in the area who have launched attacks in the past,” said a Pentagon spokesperson.
A fragmented nation
The Syrian war, which began in 2011 following the government’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, has evolved into a multi-sided conflict. Numerous combatants, backed by various regional and international powers, now control fragmented zones of influence across the country.
Photo source: Reuters
Source: ANA-MPA
