Alliance in the Syrian Civil War
The
Syrian Democratic Forces
(
SDF
)
[a]
is a
Kurdish
-led
[12]
[104]
[105]
coalition formed by ethnic militias and rebel groups, and serves as the official military wing of the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
(AANES).
[106]
[107]
[108]
The SDF is allied to and supplied by the
United States
?led
CJTF?OIR
international alliance.
[104]
Founded in 10 October 2015, the SDF claims that its mission is fighting to create a
secular
, democratic and
federalised Syria
. The SDF is opposed by Turkey, who claims the group has direct links to the
PKK
, which it recognizes as a
terrorist group
.
[109]
Formed as a rebel alliance in the
Syrian civil war
,
[110]
[111]
the SDF is composed primarily of
Kurdish
,
Arab
, and
Assyrian/Syriac
, as well as some smaller
Armenian
,
Turkmen
and
Chechen
forces.
[112]
[10]
It is militarily led by the
People's Protection Units
(YPG), a
Kurdish
militia recognized as a terrorist group by Turkey. SDF also includes several ethnic militias, and various factions of the
Syrian opposition
's
Free Syrian Army
.
[113]
[114]
The primary opponents of the SDF are the various
Islamist
,
Syrian nationalist
, and pro-Turkish forces involved in the civil war. Major enemies include
al-Qaeda
affiliates, the
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL), the
Syrian National Army
(TFSA), the
Turkish Armed Forces
, and their allies. The SDF has focused primarily on the ISIL,
[115]
successfully driving them from important strategic areas, such as
Al-Hawl
,
Shaddadi
,
Tishrin Dam
,
Manbij
,
al-Tabqah
,
Tabqa Dam
,
Baath Dam
, and ISIL's former capital of
Raqqa
.
[116]
[117]
[118]
[119]
[120]
[121]
In March 2019, the SDF announced the total territorial defeat of ISIL in Syria, with the SDF taking control of the last stronghold in
Baghuz
.
[122]
Since the territorial defeat of ISIL, the SDF has increasingly been involved with resisting the growing
Turkish occupation of northern Syria
.
[123]
Establishment
[
edit
]
Foundation
[
edit
]
The establishment of the SDF was announced on 11 October 2015 during a press conference in
al-Hasakah
.
[124]
The alliance built on longstanding previous cooperation between the founding partners.
[125]
While the
People's Protection Units
(Yekineyen Parastina Gel, YPG) and the
Women's Protection Units
(Yekineyen Parastina Jin, YPJ) had been operating throughout the regions of the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
, the other founding partners were more geographically focused.
Geographically focused on the
Euphrates Region
were the YPG's partners in the
Euphrates Volcano
joint operations room, several mainstream Syrian rebel factions of the
Free Syrian Army
, who had helped defend the Kurdish town of
Kobani
during the
Siege of Kobani
.
Liwa Thuwwar al-Raqqa
had been expelled by the
al-Nusra Front
and ISIL from the city of
Raqqa
for its alliance with the YPG. The group participated in the
capture
of
Tell Abyad
from the Islamic State.
Geographically focused on the
Jazira Region
in northeast Syria were the
Assyrian
Syriac Military Council
(Mawtbo Fulhoyo Suryoyo, MFS) and the
al-Sanadid Forces
of the Arab
Shammar
tribe, both of whom had cooperated with the YPG in fighting ISIL since 2013.
[126]
The MFS is further politically aligned with the YPG via their shared secular ideology of
democratic confederalism
, which in the
Assyrian
community is known as the
Dawronoye
movement.
[127]
Geographically focused on the Manbij Region was the
Army of Revolutionaries
(Jaysh al-Thuwar, JAT), itself an alliance of several groups of diverse ethnic and political backgrounds, who had in common that they had been rejected by the mainstream
Syrian opposition
for their
secular
, anti-
Islamist
views and affiliations.
Signatory groups
[
edit
]
The following groups signed the founding document:
[124]
Political representation
[
edit
]
On 10 December 2015, after a two-day conference, the
Syrian Democratic Council
was established. Human rights activist
Haytham Manna
and
Ilham Ehmed
were elected co-chairman/woman at its founding.
[128]
The Assembly establishing the Syrian Democratic Council was made up of 13 members of different ethnic, economic and political backgrounds.
Ethnic makeup
[
edit
]
Initially, the mostly Kurdish YPG/YPJ comprised the majority of SDF and dominated it organizationally.
[129]
However, it has had smaller minorities of other communities involved in it from the beginning, including Christians, Yezidis, Turkmen and Arabs.
The participation of thousands of Arab troops fighting under the SDF, in its
military councils
as well as various militias and rebel groups, during the battle for Raqqa in 2015 initially made local Arab groups see that Arabs and the SDF could work together. This encouraged increased Arab membership at the time.
[132]
By 2017, the SDF was reported by the
United States Department of Defense
to have an Arab majority.
[133]
[134]
A 2019
Wilson Center
study also suggested that a majority of the Syrian Democratic Forces' personnel are Arabs. The study was based on a respresentative survey with 391 SDF fighters; of the total respondents, 68.7% were Arabs, 17.2% Kurds, 12.5% Christians, 0.9% Yezidis, and 0.6% Turkmens. By comparison, the SDF itself estimated at the time that 50-70% of its troops were Arabs, 30-50% Kurds, 5% Christians, 2% Yezidis, and 2% Turkmens.
Unofficial figures, quoted in
Al Majalla
in 2021, similarly indicated a sizeable Arab majority, 65,000 out of 100,000 total. The Arab membership of the SDF may relate to the pay levels and conscription going on within the Arab majority Northeast Syria region, as the SDF has a mandatory 1 year of service for all men living in its area of control.
[50]
Size, growth and composition
[
edit
]
The SDF is in control of about 25% of the territory of Syria.
[123]
In 2018, following a
Turkish invasion into north west Syria
, the SDF was forced from
Afrin
.
[123]
[136]
In October 2019, the SDF had to retreat from
Tell Abyad
and
Ras al-Ayn
after a renewed
Turkish invasion of Syrian territory
.
[123]
2015
[
edit
]
At the time of its founding in late 2015,
The Economist
described the SDF as "essentially a subsidiary of the Kurdish YPG".
[137]
At the end of October, the
al-Shaitat
tribal militia, the Desert Hawks Brigade, joined the SDF to fight ISIL in the southern countryside of
Hasakah Governorate
.
[138]
In November, the FSA group
Euphrates Jarabulus Battalions
announced its accession to the SDF.
[139]
In December, members of the
Deir ez-Zor Governorate
-based Arab tribe
al-Shaitat
joined the SDF, sending fighters to
al-Shaddadah
.
[140]
2016
[
edit
]
With continuous growth in particular due to Arab groups and volunteers joining, in March 2016 only an estimated 60% of the men and women in the SDF fighting force were ethnic
Kurds
.
[141]
Growth in particular of Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian participation in the SDF has since continued. In an interview on the first anniversary of the SDF's founding, spokesman
Talal Silo
, an ethnic Turkmen and former commander of the
Seljuq Brigade
, stated that "we started with 13 factions and now there are 32 factions", and that "90 percent" of the SDF growth since it began its operations were ethnic Arabs.
[142]
In the context of the November 2016
Northern Raqqa offensive
,
The Economist
said the SDF fighting force to be composed of "about 20,000 YPG fighters and about 10,000 Arabs".
[143]
The next month in December 2016, Colonel John Dorrian, the Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman, stated that the SDF contained around 45,000 fighters, of which more than 13,000 were Arabs.
[144]
- On 6 January 2016 an additional 400 members of the Arab
Deir ez-Zor Governorate
-based tribe
al-Shaitat
joined the SDF, sending fighters to
Al-Shaddadah
.
[145]
- On 5 February 2016, a group called Martyrs of Dam Brigade from an Arab village called al-Makhmar (liberated by the Syrian Democratic Forces in the
Tishrin Dam offensive
) joined the
Northern Sun Battalion
and the SDF.
[146]
- On 28 February 2016, a group called Martyr Qasim Areef Battalion from
Sarrin
was formed and joined the
Army of Revolutionaries
and the SDF.
[140]
- On 10 March 2016, a group called the Soldiers of the Two Holy Mosques Brigade joined the Syrian Democratic Forces as part of the Northern Sun Battalion.
[140]
It was formerly part of the
Army of Mujahideen
's
19th Division
. The group operated in the northern
Aleppo Governorate
countryside, and also have a presence in
Aleppo
city and
Kobani
.
- On 12 March 2016, it was reported that more than 200 locals from the earlier liberated areas around the town of
Shaddadi
joined the SDF, most of them Arabs.
[147]
- On 19 March 2016, it was reported that a group under the name of
Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa
("Free Raqqa Brigade") joined the SDF.
[148]
The group had earlier been known under the name of Liwa al-Jihad fi Sabeel Allah ("Jihad in the Path of God Brigade") and had in September 2014 been part of the
Euphrates Volcano
operations room.
[149]
- On 2 April 2016 the SDF established the
Manbij Military Council
with the goal of securing the city of
Manbij
and its surrounding countryside (
Manbij offensive
). The council also included previously unknown groups such as the
Manbij Revolutionaries Battalion
, or the Manbij Turkmen Brigade which joined the Northern Sun Battalion of the Army of Revolutionaries.
[150]
- On 20 June 2016, a group called the Tel Rifaat Revolutionaries Battalion, with 250 members, joined the Kurdish Front of the Army of Revolutionaries.
[151]
- On 23 June 2016 in the
al-Shaddadah
area, 158
al-Shaitat
tribesmen from the FSA group
Elite Forces
, which was not yet an SDF component group at the time, defected to join the SDF component group, the Desert Hawks Brigade, consisting of members of that tribe.
[152]
[153]
- On 14 August 2016, after securing
Manbij
, the SDF established the
al-Bab Military Council
with the goal of securing the city of
al-Bab
and its surrounding countryside.
[154]
- On 21 August, in a similar fashion to the establishment of the Manbij and al-Bab Military Councils, the SDF established the
Jarablus Military Council
with the goal of securing the city of
Jarablus
and its surrounding countryside. The council also includes the newly established group, the Manbij Revolutionary Brigades.
[155]
[156]
[157]
The commander of the council, General Sattar Jader from Jarabulus Hawks Brigades, was assassinated the next day, a suspect was later arrested.
[158]
[159]
- On 13 September 2016 the
al-Nukhbat Brigade
, consisting of members from the
al-Shaitat
and
Shammar
tribes and led by
Ahmad Jarba
, joined the SDF. While some of its members already had earlier defected and joined the SDF, the event was called a major political coup for the SDF, as Jarba was the former President of the
National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
and now agreed to work with the
Syrian Democratic Council
framework instead.
- On 14 October 2016, the Free Officers Union, led by
Hussam Awak
, said to number in the hundreds joined the SDF.
[17]
[18]
- On 31 October 2016, an all-female battalion was established within' the al-Bab Military Council.
[160]
- On 8 December 2016, the
Deir ez-Zor Military Council
was established.
[21]
The founding members consist of remnants of the former
Free Syrian Army
council of the same name, expelled from the city by the Islamic State in 2014, having joined the SDF in November 2016.
[161]
2017
[
edit
]
According to a March 2017 statement of the Spokesman for the International Coalition forces, U.S. Colonel John Dorrian, 75 percent of the SDF forces fighting in
Operation Wrath of Euphrates
to isolate ISIL's de facto capital of Raqqa were Syrian Arabs, a reflection of the demographic composition of that area. "The Syrian Democratic Forces are a multi-ethnic and multi-sectarian organization, and that is one of the reasons why we're working with them and they have continued to build the Arab element of their force."
[162]
Concerning the SDF in general, Lieutenant General
Stephen Townsend
in the same month said that "I'm seeing what is probably a pretty broad coalition of people and the Kurds may be providing the leadership, because they have a capable leader who's stepped up to this challenge. And they are providing some of the organisational skill, but I see a large contingent about 23 to 25, 000 so far and growing, Arabs, who are marching to liberate their part of northern Syria. So, I don't see a Kurdish state. I see a multi-cultural, multi-party, multi-ethnic, multi-sectarian Syrian region being liberated from ISIS. Over."
[163]
Late June, an analysis by the
Counter Terrorism Center
at
West Point
said "growing acceptance of the SDF by Sunni Arab rebel groups" and more generally "growing legitimacy of the SDF".
[161]
Another analysis as of late June described the YPG as "only one faction of many within the SDF", however that "it's the YPG that makes the SDF reliable and effective. The SDF's other components function as auxiliaries to the SDF's 'backbone', the YPG, which ensures effective, unitary command and control."
[164]
- On 13 February, the first YPG/YPJ regiment in the
Euphrates Region
was declared. The second regiment, named
?ehid ?evger Kobani Regiment
was established on 18 February.
[165]
A total of 4 regiments were declared.
[166]
- On 25 February 2017, the YPG agreed to hand over security in the
Assyrian
towns along the
Khabur River
to the
Khabour Guards
and
Nattoreh
which joined the SDF.
[9]
- On 27 February 2017, the first YPG/YPJ regiment in the
Afrin Region
, named
Martyr Xebat Derik Regiment
was declared.
[166]
- On 8 April 2017, the Jazeera Knights Brigade was established.
[27]
- On 10 April 2017, two new YPG/YPJ regiments, named
Martyr Gabar Regiment
and
Derik and Martyr Zana Regiment
were established in the
Jazira Region
.
[166]
- On 4 May 2017, the International Anti-Fascist Battalion was renamed to the YPG International Battalion and became a part of the YPG.
- On 17 May 2017, the
Raqqa Internal Security Forces
were established.
[84]
- On 8 June, between 60 and 70
Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army
fighters, including several
Sultan Murad Division
commanders, defected to the
Syrian Army
and the SDF during infighting between TFSA factions.
[167]
- On 10 July, an all-female Arab SDF group was established in Deir ez-Zor, the Martyr Amara Arab Women's Battalion, named after a female Arab SDF fighter that died in combat. Their area of focus will be the
Deir ez-Zor Governorate
. The group currently consists of 35 fighters from the cities of
Hama
,
al-Raqqa
,
Deir ez-Zor
and
Hasakah
, along with the town of
al-Shaddadah
.
[22]
[23]
- On 15 August, the Revolutionary Forces was formed as part of the SDF in northern Aleppo, with the intent to fight the
Turkish occupation of northern Syria
.
[35]
- On 25 August 800 fighters left the
Elite Forces
and were integrated into the ranks of the SDF and its
Deir ez-Zor Military Council
. The fighters said the Elite Forces were committing corruption. These forces consist of 7 units of
al-Baggara
and
al-Shaitat
tribal fighters stationed in the eastern Raqqa and southern Hasaka countrysides.
[168]
- On 4 September, a faction of the Northern Brigade, which is a
TFSA
unit, defected to the SDF.
[169]
- Around 10 September, dozens of militiamen of the pro-government
Forces of the Fighters of the Tribes
joined the SDF. These militiamen had previously been overrun by ISIL during the
Central Syria campaign
and retreated into SDF-held areas in order to avoid being captured by the Islamist militants. Feeling abandoned by their old commander, they eventually decided to stay with the SDF.
[170]
- At some point during the
Battle of Raqqa (2017)
, the "Elite Forces" fell out with the SDF, and officially left the alliance. Thereafter, the group reportedly disintegrated.
[171]
- On 15 November 2017,
Talal Silo
defected or surrendered to the Turkish Army, the nature of his leaving the SDF being up for dispute.
[172]
[173]
[174]
- On 27 November 2017, the Martyr Adnan Abu Amjad Regiment, consisting of 250 fighters was established and joined the
Manbij Military Council
- On 20 December 2017,
Hussam Awak
announced his resignation from the SDF on his
Facebook
page without providing any reasons.
[16]
2018
[
edit
]
| This section needs to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
July 2018
)
|
- On 13 January 2018, it was announced that the US-led Coalition would train a group called the
Syrian Border Security Force
(BSF), and would aim to reach 30,000 fighters, half of those being composed by current SDF members.
[175]
- On 20 January 2018, Kino Gabriel, the spokesman for the
Syriac Military Council
, was also made the spokesman for the SDF.
[2]
- In early June 2018, the Brigade For The Liberation of Idlib and Afrin, and the Idlib Revolutionaries Brigade where established.
- In July 2018, the first
Sapper
unit was established.
[6]
- On 1 August 2018, the first Special Forces Regiment was formed.
[5]
- On 24 September 2018, the
Assyrian Democratic Party
announced the creation of a united military leadership for
Nattoreh
and the
Khabour Guards
. The united force will known as the "Ashur Forces".
2019
[
edit
]
Support by the U.S.-led coalition
[
edit
]
| This section needs to be
updated
.
Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.
(
July 2018
)
|
- On 12 October 2015, the
Pentagon
confirmed U.S.
C-17
transport aircraft dropped 100 pallets with 45 tons of arms and ammunition over SDF-controlled territory in the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
.
Polat Can
, spokesman of the SDF component militia People's Protection Units (YPG), identified the freight as being "assault rifles, mortars and ammunition, but no
TOW
anti-tank missiles nor anti-aircraft weapons".
[185]
[186]
The airdrop came only days after the Pentagon had officially abandoned its failed $500 million
train-and-equip program
that armed mainstream opposition groups who were also opposed to ISIL.
[187]
- During the SDF's February 2016
al-Shaddadi offensive
, there were
US special forces
embedded with the SDF forces who coordinated airstrikes against ISIL with the SDF.
[188]
- On 17 March 2016, the day after the declaration of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter praised the SDF component militia People's Protection Units (YPG) as having "proven to be excellent partners of ours on the ground in fighting ISIL. We are grateful for that, and we intend to continue to do that, recognizing the complexities of their regional role."
[189]
- During the SDF's May 2016 offensive against ISIL in Northern Raqqa, the presence of
U.S. Special Forces
was widely reported, and several photographs of them wearing badges of the YPG and YPJ on their uniforms circulated.
[190]
- On 21 May 2016,
General Joseph Votel
, commanding general of
U.S. Central Command
, completed a secret several-hour-long trip to northern Syria to visit several locations where there were U.S. special operations forces and meet with local forces the U.S. was helping train to fight
ISIL
. The visit came as the first of 250 additional U.S. special operations forces were beginning to arrive in Syria to work with local forces.
[51]
The commander overseeing the war in
Syria
, at the end of a long Saturday spent touring SDF bases, said "We do, absolutely, have to go with what we've got".
[52]
- During the SDF's summer 2016
Manbij offensive
against ISIL, the
U.S. Air Force
as well as the special operations forces of several Western nations supported the SDF advance. The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
stated that besides US special forces,
German
and
French
forces were participating.
[191]
France later confirmed that it had sent its own troops into Syria in an advisory capacity to train the Syrian Democratic Forces to fight against ISIL.
[69]
- After two
Syrian Air Force
SU-24s
started air strikes in
Al-Hasakah
, on 19 August 2016,
[53]
near where
coalition forces
were conducting operations on the ground,
coalition aircraft arrived
and the
United States Department of Defense
said that "It troubles us when we see regime air strikes in
Hasakah
in an area where it is well known by everybody, to include the
Assad
regime, that the coalition is actively engaged in operations against Isis",
[54]
implicitly recognizing that
elite troops
are training and supporting the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces in the area.
[54]
- During the late summer 2016
Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
in the Manbij Region, U.S. Special Operations Forces embedded themselves with SDF forces to successfully deter Turkish-backed jihadi rebels from attacking SDF forces south of the Sajur river.
[24]
Further, the
United States Department of Defense
confirmed that U.S. Special Operation Forces were flying U.S. flags in the town of
Tell Abyad
in the
Euphrates Region
to deter Turkish harassment shelling or attacks against SDF forces there.
[192]
- During the SDF's late summer 2016
Western al-Bab offensive
against ISIL, the U.S. Air Force provided close combat support for SDF forces.
[193]
- In late September 2016, the U.S. spokesman for the
Combined Joint Task Force ? Operation Inherent Resolve
(CJTF?OIR) confirmed that the SDF, including the YPG, is also part of the "vetted forces" in the train and equip program and will be supplied with weapons. The
President of Turkey
,
Recep Tayyip Erdo?an
, condemned this and stated that the SDF are "endangering our future".
[104]
- Early October 2016, media reports highlighted construction work on another military airfield in SDF controlled territory for operations of U.S. air assets, in the vicinity of
al-Shaddadah
in the
Jazira Region
,
[194]
[195]
in addition to the two airfields the U.S. is widely reported to already co-operate there:
Abu Hajar Airport
in
Rmelan
in the Jazira Region and one airfield at the village of Septe south of
Kobani
in the
Euphrates Region
.
[196]
[197]
[198]
[199]
- In late October 2016, U.S. Army Lt. Gen.
Stephen J. Townsend
, the commander of the
international coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
, said that the SDF would lead the impending assault on
Raqqa
, ISIL's stronghold and capital, and that SDF commanders would plan the operation with advice from American and coalition troops.
[200]
From November, more than 300 U.S. Special Operations Forces were embedded to train and advise SDF fighters in the
Raqqa offensive
.
[201]
- In January 2017, the
European Syriac Union
in
Brussels
requested the US to provide more support for the Assyrian and Kurdish components of the Syrian Democratic Forces. The US reportedly favoured the Arab components in the SDF,
[202]
in April the MFS and the HSNB reaffirming the request for more support from the US.
[203]
- In late January 2017, the SDF received a number of
armoured personnel carriers
produced by
ArmorGroup
and supplied by the US.
[204]
- In February 2017, Stephen Townsend visited
Kobani
. On 25 February, the US Central Command stated that it would continue to train and equip forces of the
Manbij Military Council
.
[205]
During the
East Aleppo offensive (February?March 2017)
, the US deployed troops and armored vehicles to villages near Manbij in an attempt to "deter" the skirmishes between the SDF and Turkey-backed forces west and north of Manbij.
[206]
- In late March 2017, the US delivered 30 more Guardian armoured vehicles to the SDF for use in the Raqqa offensive.
[207]
- In late April 2017, the U.S. just as in the summer 2016 once again deployed U.S. troops embedded with the SDF to the border between the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
/
Syria
and
Turkey
, in order to deter Turkish aggressions against the SDF, which this time coincided with the SDF's breakthrough advances against ISIL in the
Raqqa campaign
.
[208]
[209]
- On 9 May 2017, it was announced by the Pentagon that American President
Donald Trump
approved of a plan that would have the United States directly provide heavy armaments to the major SDF component group, the YPG; the plan comes before a planned final offensive to capture Raqqa from ISIL.
[210]
[211]
[212]
- By July 2017, more than 8,500 members of the SDF have been trained by the US-led coalition and in the first half of 2017, more than 400 vehicles and other equipment have been delivered to over 40,000 SDF troops.
[213]
- According to a report from the Kurdish news network
Kurdistan 24
, the major SDF component group,
YPG
forces, received about 800 truckloads of military supplies from the Pentagon from early June to the end of July 2017.
[214]
[215]
[216]
- In a joint report published on 12 September 2017, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (
OCCRP
) and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (
BIRN
) reported that the Pentagon had so far delivered up to $2.2 billion worth of weapons to the Syrian Democratic Forces.
[217]
[218]
- In late November 2017, Turkish officials stated that Trump told Erdo?an during their 24 November phone conversation that the U.S. would end arms supplies to the SDF. Erdo?an said: "For the first time in a long while, a common wavelength was reached."
[219]
But Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied on 28 November that there was a halt in the Washington armament, saying they were provided with weapons by the U.S. the day before.
[220]
Kurdish officials also said on 27 November that the United States would only "adjust" its delivery of weapons to the SDF. U.S. officials also stated that they would continue to work with their Kurdish and Arab partners of SDF but will only review and adjust its delivery of weapons which is being done regularly.
[221]
The International Coalition also confirmed its support for SDF is ongoing.
[222]
- On 12 February 2018, the
United States Department of Defense
released a budget blueprint for 2019 which with respect to the
Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria
, including $300 million for the SDF and $250 million for border security.
[223]
- On 29 March 2018, French President
Emmanuel Macron
vowed to send troops to Syria's
Manbij
in a bid to assist local SDF militias in preventing Turkish forces from advancing on the town.
[224]
- In December 2018, U.S. Kurdish allies in Syria discussed the release of 3,200 ISIS prisoners, a prominent monitoring group and a Western official of the anti-Islamic State coalition said, a day after President Trump ordered the withdrawal of all American troops from the country. The SDF denied that such talks have taken place.
[225]
- On 7 October 2019,
President of the United States
Donald Trump
announced that the US would be withdrawing all troops stationed at the border of
Turkey
currently in cooperation with the SDF.
[226]
This has led to fears of a possible re-emergence of
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
due to SDF-controlled ISIS prisons
[227]
[228]
and possible restoration of fighting in the
Syrian Civil War
,
[229]
with current conflict being limited.
[230]
- On 21 October 2019, President Trump announced US troops would remain in Syria.
[231]
It was reported on 5 March that he again confirmed US troops would not be leaving Syria.
[232]
- As of 2023 the U.S. Military and International Coalition remain in Northeast Syria partnered with the SDF.
[233]
[234]
- The
U.S. Department of Defense
annually provides the SDF hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons, equipment, training and stipends.
[235]
[236]
Reported internal conflict between SDF factions
[
edit
]
- In November 2015,
Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa
merged with the Tribal Army to form
Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa
to become part of the SDF. After some tensions between the group and the
People's Protection Units
(YPG), on 6 January 2016 the group reportedly issued a statement stating it was disbanding.
[237]
Later the same month, some sources stated that the Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa reappeared, announcing it had decided to rejoin the SDF.
[238]
- Turkey has at various times tried and failed to incite tensions along ethnic lines within the SDF.
[24]
At the height of one such attempts after the start of the summer 2016
Manbij offensive
, Sheikh Farouk al-Mashi, an ethnic Arab former member of the Syrian parliament and designated co-chairman of the Manbij City Council, stated: "I have a Syrian ID, and Kurds have a Syrian ID. Let those people who talk against us in Turkey and Europe come here and fight ISIS. Why this distortion in media about problems between Kurds and Arabs?" Ethnic Kurdish fellow co-chairman Salih Haji Mohammed stated: "In our social contract, we say we want to have good relations with neighboring countries like Turkey. Any country that does not interfere in Manbij and our areas, we will have good relations with."
[239]
A fighter gave his perspective as "we have Arabs, Kurds, nobody knows how many exactly, we all work under the SDF-forces".
[240]
- In September 2016, during the
Turkish military intervention in the Syrian Civil War
, the leader of small SDF component group
Liwa al-Tahrir
, Abdul Karim Obeid, defected to the camp of Turkish-backed rebels with 20 to 100 of his men, citing opposition to reported YPG domination of the SDF, while SDF sources suggested he was displeased with the civil administration of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria replacing warlordist political rule in the
Free Syrian Army
style. The remaining fighters stayed with the SDF.
[24]
- Also, in September 2016, during the Turkish military intervention, some Arab sources reported that Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa clashed with the YPG,
[25]
however two days later the Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa's commander said that news about the clashes and defections were false, he denied that such clashes had ever happened.
[241]
- In mid-November 2016, Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's political bureau, which has strong connections with Turkey, condemned the SDF's
Raqqa offensive
led by the YPG. This caused tensions between the group's political bureau, who opposes the YPG, and the overall leader and military commander of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, Abu Issa, who is allied with the YPG. Some members of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa left the group and joined the SDF's
Liwa Ahrar al-Raqqa
, in response to the tensions.
- On 10 December 2016, the second phase of the
Northern al-Raqqa
campaign was announced, with
Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa
participating under the SDF. 2 weeks later, the
Raqqa Hawks Brigade
reportedly captured several Thuwar al-Raqqa military commanders and forced them to announce their defection. On 27 December, the commanders declared on video that they are still with Thuwar al-Raqqa.
[242]
On 20 February 2017, one sub-commander of the
Raqqa Hawks Brigade
, Abu Yamen al-Meko, who reportedly had strong links to the
Military Intelligence Directorate
, declared his loyalty to
Bashar al-Assad
and formed the pro-government unit "Tajamou al-Shamal". His followers consequently raised the
Ba'athist flag
at their headquarters in the village of al-Fares. These actions, however, provoked the ire of Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa, which launched a surprise attack on al-Fares two days later and destroyed al-Meko's faction, killing or capturing its members. Jabhat Thuwar al-Raqqa went on to declare that it "would never allow the regime and its supporting militia to re-enter the city [of Raqqa] by any means".
[243]
[244]
- On 10 April 2017, a spokesman for the
Elite Forces
stated that the group is not part of the SDF, will cooperate with both the SDF and
Peshmerga Roj
to capture Deir ez-Zor, and rejected
federalism
.
[245]
On 15 April, this statement was denied by Muhammad Khalid Shakir, the official spokesman of the Elite Forces. He denied any disagreements between the Elite Forces and the SDF and said that "We are in the framework of the international coalition. The leadership of the coalition manages the operations on the ground. Our troops did not withdraw. We have completed the third phase of the
Wrath of Euphrates Operation
, and we will participate in all stages until Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor are freed."
[246]
- On 28 September 2017, Yasser al-Dahla, commander of the Gathering of
al-Baggara
Youth, part of the SDF's
Deir ez-Zor Military Council
, was arrested by SDF
military police
, which said Dahla was effectively participating in the SDF's
Deir ez-Zor offensive
and the "lack of
military discipline
". The Gathering of
al-Baggara
Youth denied these charges, and said the Deir ez-Zor Military Council was denying
Euphrates Shield
fighters who defected to the SDF to join the Gathering. Dahla reportedly threatened to cease his group's participation in the Deir ez-Zor offensive.
[247]
- On 15 November 2017,
Talal Silo
, surrendered or defected to the Turkish Army. The nature of his leaving the SDF being up for dispute.
[172]
[173]
[174]
- On 20 December 2017,
Hussam Awak
announced his resignation from the SDF on his
Facebook
page without providing any reasons.
[16]
- In May 2018, tensions began to build up between members of Arab tribes, including Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa, and the rest of the SDF and the
Raqqa Internal Security Forces
over recruitment issues in Raqqa. A curfew was put in place in both Raqqa city and the rest of the governorate on 23 June, as the SDF and RISF besieged Thuwar al-Raqqa's headquarters and arrested between 90
[248]
and 200 of its members the next day.
[249]
By 25 June, the SDF and RISF captured all of Thuwar al-Raqqa fighters and their weapons in Raqqa, completely defeating the group, and the curfew was ended.
[250]
Following Liwa Thuwar al-Raqqa's defeat by the SDF and RISF, Abu Issa met with tribal leaders and SDF officials to discuss surrender and reconciliation. He was reportedly offered a position in the SDF general command.
[251]
Abu Issa would later go on to deny he was ever arrested by the SDF or the RISF.
[252]
- On 27 August 2023, the SDF arrested Ahmad Al Khubail, also known as Abu Khawla, who headed its Deir al Zor Council. This led to widespread unrest by various Arab tribal clans, fuelled by grievances over social issues and corruption by the AANES officials. Tens of civilians and fighters died in the resulting fighting.
[253]
War crimes
[
edit
]
On 15 March 2017, a video surfaced that showed members of the Northern Sun Battalion reportedly torturing an ISIL fighter, who had been captured while planting mines. One of these mines had reportedly killed nine fighters of the battalion, leading five others to take revenge on the ISIL militant. The Manbij Military Council condemned the act, and announced that the involved Northern Sun Battalion fighters would be held for trial for violating the
Geneva Conventions
.
[254]
[255]
The five accused were arrested on 17 March.
[256]
On 24 April 2024,
Amnesty International
reported that there is a large-scale human rights violation of more than 56,000 people including 30,000 children and 14,500 women held indefinitely in at least 27 detention facilities for those with "perceived IS affiliation". According to the report among those held in this detention system are hundreds of
Yazidis
,
Syrians
,
Iraqis
, and foreign citizens from nearly 74 other countries. The report described the trials as "flawed", and many of the people in these camps were detained without charges. Detainees are held in inhumane conditions and subjected to torture including severe beatings,
stress positions
, and electric shocks with thousands having been forcibly disappeared. Women were also subjected to
sexual
and
gender based violence
by SDF security members as well as attacks by other prisoners for perceived "moral" infractions.
[257]
Agnes Callamard
accused the US government of playing a central role in the creation and maintenance of this system.
[257]
Ethnic cleansing and forced displacement allegations
[
edit
]
In June 2015 the Turkish government and
Amnesty International
reported that the YPG was carrying out an
ethnic cleansing
of non-Kurdish populations as part of a plan to join the
Jazira
and
Euphrates
regions into a single territory.
[258]
The
U.S. State Department
reacted by stating they would 'scrutinise' Amnesty International's accusations.
[259]
The U.S. State Department stated it had to determine if there was "any veracity to the claims", but showed concern by calling for any administrator in the area to rule "with respect for all groups regardless of ethnicity". The report makes accusations of looting, coercing civilians to join their armed forces and the forced targeted displacement of 1400 families in the
Turkman villages of Hammam al-Turkman
, 800 Turkmen from Mela Berho and
Suluk
residents. The report offers unnamed witness testimony from reported victims, cross referenced with photo and video evidence, media reports, and satellite imagery to substantiate these reports.
[260]
In a report published by the
United Nations
'
Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
on 10 March 2017, the Commission refuted Amnesty International's reports of ethnic cleansing, stating that "'though allegations of 'ethnic cleansing' continued to be received during the period under review, the Commission found no evidence to substantiate reports that YPG or SDF forces ever targeted Arab communities on the basis of ethnicity".
[261]
[262]
[263]
In interviews, YPG spokespersons acknowledged that a number of families were in fact displaced. However, they placed the number at no more than 25,
[264]
and stated military necessity. They stated that the family members of terrorists maintained communications with them, and therefore had to be removed from areas where they might pose a danger.
[260]
They further reported that ISIL was using civilians in those areas to plant car bombs or carry out other attacks on the YPG.
[260]
Recruitment of minors
[
edit
]
In June 2014,
Human Rights Watch
criticized the YPG for accepting minors into their ranks,
[265]
picking up on multiple earlier reports of teenage fighters serving in the YPG, with a report by the
United Nations
Secretary General
stating that 24 minors under age of 18 had been recruited by YPG, with 124 having been recruited by the Free Syrian Army and 5 by the Syrian Arab Army.
[266]
In response, the YPG and YPJ signed the
Geneva Call
Deed of Commitment
protecting children in armed conflict, prohibiting sexual violence and against gender discrimination in July 2014,
[267]
and Kurdish security forces (YPG and
Asayish
) began receiving human rights training from
Geneva Call
and other international organisations with the YPG pledging publicly to demobilize all fighters under 18 within a month and began to enact disciplinary measures against commanders of the units that had involved in corruption and accepting recruit under age of 18 to their ranks.
[268]
[269]
In October 2015 the YPG demobilized 21 minors from the military service in its ranks.
[270]
In response to reports issued by international organisations such as Human Rights Watch,
[271]
the general command of the SDF issued a military order prohibiting the recruitment of children.
[272]
On 29 June 2019 Abdi, as representative of the SDF, signed the action plan of the
United Nations
aiming to prevent the enlistment of child soldiers in the armed forces. The action plan was signed to address the inclusion of the YPG in the SDF.
[273]
In 2020, United Nations reported SDF as the largest faction in the
Syrian civil war
by the number recruited child soldiers, with 283 child soldiers followed by
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
with 245 child soldiers.
[274]
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"What remains to be done in the final phase of America's war on ISIS ? 60 Minutes"
.
CBS News
. 28 October 2018.
Archived
from the original on 7 January 2019
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"Kino Gabriel assigned as SDF spokesman"
.
SDF press
. Archived from
the original
on 13 September 2018
. Retrieved
31 March
2019
.
- ^
Seth, Harp (14 February 2017).
"The Anarchists vs. the Islamic State"
.
Rolling Stone Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on 28 August 2017
. Retrieved
29 January
2018
.
- ^
Tonacci, Fabio (29 December 2016). "La brigata degli italiani con i curdi verso Raqqa: "Ma a casa non sanno che qui combattiamo"
".
la Repubblica
(in Italian).
Rome
. p. 8.
- ^
a
b
"Part of 1st military regiment of Special Forces in al-Tabqa ? ANHA | Ajansa Nuceyan a Hawar"
.
hawarnews.com
.
Archived
from the original on 1 August 2018
. Retrieved
1 August
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Syrian Democratic Forces Update"
.
DVIDS
.
Archived
from the original on 20 July 2018
. Retrieved
19 July
2018
.
- ^
"Assyrian Female Fighters Joined Battlefronts Against ISIS in Northeastern Syria"
.
Archived
from the original on 30 June 2016
. Retrieved
19 June
2016
.
- ^
"The revolutionaries of Bethnahrin: cooperation between Christians and Kurds ? Links International Journal of Socialist Renewal"
.
Archived
from the original on 15 May 2016
. Retrieved
19 June
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Assyrians seek self-management in Hasaka over deal with PYD"
.
Zaman al-Wasl
. 13 April 2017.
Archived
from the original on 5 August 2017
. Retrieved
14 April
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Armenian fighters promise to 'fight perpetrators of genocide'
"
. ANF News.
Archived
from the original on 21 October 2019
. Retrieved
21 October
2019
.
- ^
a
b
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
"Refworld ? Kurdish Strategy Towards Ethnically-Mixed Areas in the Syrian Conflict"
.
Refworld
.
Archived
from the original on 24 March 2016
. Retrieved
2 April
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Kurdish-led SDF attracts more Arab fighters in Syria's Deir ez-Zor amid growing anti-ISIS campaign"
. ARA News. 24 June 2016. Archived from
the original
on 25 June 2016
. Retrieved
24 June
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"400 Sheitat tribesmen joined U.S.-backed alliance to fight ISIS: sources"
. Syria News. 7 January 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
10 February
2016
.
- ^
"South Hasakah/North Deir Ezzor situation on April 28, 2016"
.
agathocledesyracuse.com
. 28 April 2016. Archived from
the original
on 31 May 2016.
Szakola, Albin.
"New rebel force battling ISIS in northeast Syria"
.
Archived
from the original on 27 May 2016
. Retrieved
19 June
2016
.
- ^
"???? ?????? ??????? ???? ????? ??????? ???? ????"
. 26 March 2017.
Archived
from the original on 28 March 2017
. Retrieved
28 March
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
Sultan, Kanan.
??? ????? ????? "??? ???".. ???? ?????? ???? ???????? ?? "???" ? ???? ???? ?????????
.
baladi-news.com
(in Arabic).
Archived
from the original on 21 December 2017
. Retrieved
21 December
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Hundreds of Syrian rebels join the pro-Kurdish SDF alliance"
. ARA News. 14 October 2016. Archived from
the original
on 9 December 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Ajansa Nuceyan a Firate"
. ANF. 13 October 2016. Archived from
the original
on 22 December 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
"The Battle for Syria's Al-Hasakah Province"
. Combating Terrorism Center at West Point. 24 October 2013. Archived from
the original
on 2 April 2015.
- ^
Heras, Nicholas (24 October 2013).
"The battle for Syria's al-Hasakah province"
. Combating Terrorism Center. Archived from
the original
on 2 April 2015
. Retrieved
17 February
2014
.
- ^
a
b
"
"???" ???? ???????? ?? ????? ?????? ????? ??????? ? ??? ????"
. 8 December 2016.
Archived
from the original on 20 December 2016
. Retrieved
12 December
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"SDF about forming first Arab all-female brigade ? ANHA"
.
en.hawarnews.com
. Archived from
the original
on 10 July 2017
. Retrieved
10 July
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"SDF creates female Arab battalion in eastern Syria to fight patriarchy and ISIS ? ARA News"
. 11 July 2017. Archived from
the original
on 13 July 2017
. Retrieved
11 July
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
"US backing ensures Arab-Kurd alliance in Syria will survive"
. Al-Monitor. 9 September 2016. Archived from
the original
on 9 September 2016
. Retrieved
9 September
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Liberation Brigade defected in Jarabulus"
.
Baladi News
.
Archived
from the original on 5 September 2016
. Retrieved
2 September
2016
.
- ^
"SDF announces the launch of 'Great Battle' for Raqqa"
. ANF News.
Archived
from the original on 6 July 2017
. Retrieved
11 July
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Fursan al-Jazira Brigades join SDF ranks ? ANHA"
.
en.hawarnews.com
. Archived from
the original
on 16 August 2017.
- ^
????? ??? ????? ?????? ????? ????? ???????
(in Arabic).
Hawar News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 27 August 2016
. Retrieved
1 September
2016
.
- ^
"Kurds Front: we will resist to the last gasp"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 24 October 2016. Archived from
the original
on 25 October 2016.
- ^
"????? ???? ????? ??????????? ?? ??? ?????"
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
17 March
2017
.
- ^
"KurdisCat: 3 membres de Jabhat al Akrad i Quwat al-Ashair moren en combat contra l'IS al front d'al Bab"
. 4 December 2016.
Archived
from the original on 1 December 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
"Democratic Brigade North: Turkey impede our progress in coordination with Daesh"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 8 September 2016. Archived from
the original
on 9 October 2017.
- ^
"Shahba forces"
.
RUMAF
. 1 December 2016.
Archived
from the original on 28 May 2017
. Retrieved
11 July
2017
.
- ^
"First YCR battalion formed in Efrin"
.
ANF News
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
11 July
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Objectives of New SDF-Led militias in the city of Afrin"
.
Al-Dorar al-Shamia
. 15 August 2017. Archived from
the original
on 23 October 2018
. Retrieved
16 August
2017
.
- ^
"??? "???? ???? ????" "???" ???? "???? ????? ???? ??????" ...!!"
.
Archived
from the original on 4 July 2018
. Retrieved
31 March
2019
.
- ^
"A leader in the "Idlib revolutionaries" to Kurd Street network: the problems of tenderness behind Turkey .. The arrival of the Arab delegation to Kobani is to support border guards"
.
Kurd Street
. 2 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 6 June 2018
. Retrieved
8 June
2018
.
- ^
"Afrin Liberation Forces carried out 2 operations in Afrin ? ANHA | HAWARNEWS | English"
.
Archived
from the original on 31 December 2018
. Retrieved
31 December
2018
.
- ^
"Inspired by Kurdish units, al-Bab Military Council creates all-female battalion ? ARA News"
. 1 November 2016. Archived from
the original
on 5 November 2016
. Retrieved
24 November
2016
.
- ^
"ANF ? Ajansa Nuceyan ar Firate"
.
Archived
from the original on 24 August 2016
. Retrieved
1 September
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Who is taking part in Ghadab al-Firat campaign ?"
.
Hawar News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 9 November 2016
. Retrieved
24 November
2016
.
- ^
en.hawarnews.com/wrath-of-euphrates-fighters-head-for-al-sokeri/
"Fighters from all al-Raqqa clans participate in the liberation camiagn ? ANHA"
. Archived from
the original
on 2 April 2017.
- ^
"#Syria-Raqqa suspicious factions with the PYD"
. 7 September 2016.
Archived
from the original on 14 March 2017
. Retrieved
28 March
2017
.
- ^
@Syria_Rebel_Obs (7 November 2016).
"EXCLUSIVE SRO ? Former leader of the main #Tabqa #FSA factions, Liwa Owais al-Qarni, entered Northern Federation days ago"
(
Tweet
) – via
Twitter
.
- ^
"The Ajeel tribe in Raqqa announces its support for the SDF, sends hundreds of fighters to join SDF ranks, and denies allegations that it is opposed to the SDF"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 31 March 2017. Archived from
the original
on 26 April 2017.
- ^
"What platoons are participating in freeing Raqqa campaign? ? ANHA"
.
en.hawarnews.com
. Archived from
the original
on 13 August 2016.
- ^
"YPG declared the Qamishli as the capital of the Rojava-Northern Syria, part of Federation"
. 2 July 2016.
Archived
from the original on 5 July 2016
. Retrieved
17 July
2016
.
- ^
Lister, Tim (1 November 2015).
"New assaults on ISIS in Iraq and in Syria"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on 2 November 2015
. Retrieved
2 November
2015
.
- ^
"Syrian Democratic Forces inch closer to Deir Ezzor: Al-Mukmin captured"
. Almasdar News. 7 March 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 March 2016
. Retrieved
8 March
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"Why Arabs are increasingly joining the SDF in Syria's northeast"
.
en.majalla.com
. Retrieved
24 July
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"Top U.S. commander completes day-long secret visit to Syria (CNN)"
. 22 May 2016.
Archived
from the original on 24 May 2016
. Retrieved
23 May
2016
.
- ^
a
b
"The new coalition to destroy the Islamic State"
.
The Washington Post
. 22 May 2016. Archived from
the original
on 9 October 2017.
- ^
a
b
"Syrian fighter jets hit Kurd-held areas for first time (Aljazeera)"
. 19 August 2016.
Archived
from the original on 21 August 2016
. Retrieved
22 August
2016
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Syria war: US fighter jets scrambled to stop Syrian planes bombing special forces and allies in Hasakah"
.
Independent
. 20 August 2016.
Archived
from the original on 6 October 2017
. Retrieved
15 September
2017
.
- ^
"Syrian Opposition Calls for Suspension of U.S.-led Air Strikes"
. SOHR. 21 July 2016. Archived from
the original
on 26 October 2016
. Retrieved
21 July
2016
.
- ^
"Origins of the Syrian Democratic Forces: A Primer"
. 15 June 2016.
Archived
from the original on 16 September 2016
. Retrieved
15 June
2016
.
- ^
Simone, Daniel De (24 October 2019).
"The British man put on trial after fighting IS"
.
BBC News
.
Archived
from the original on 28 October 2019
. Retrieved
31 October
2019
.
- ^
"Elite Forces led by former Syrian opposition chief join fight against ISIS"
.
ARA News
. 11 December 2016. Archived from
the original
on 26 August 2017
. Retrieved
2 September
2017
.
- ^
"The UAE has it in for the Muslim Brotherhood"
.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
. 22 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on 31 July 2017
. Retrieved
25 July
2017
.
Along with their American counterparts, Emirati special forces are said to be training elements of the opposition. They constitute a kind of Arab guarantee among the Syrian Democratic Forces ? an umbrella group dominated by the Kurds of the PYD, on whom the US are relying to fight IS on the ground.
- ^
"UAE, Kurds Standing against US, Turkey in Syria"
.
Farsnews
. 22 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on 17 April 2018
. Retrieved
19 April
2018
.
- ^
"The U.S. bombing of Syria implicates many of Trump's business interests"
.
Vox
. 16 April 2018.
Archived
from the original on 16 April 2018
. Retrieved
19 April
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S. Seeks Arab Force and Funding for Syria"
.
Wall Street Journal
. 16 April 2018.
Archived
from the original on 30 May 2018
. Retrieved
30 May
2018
.
Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. helped pay the stipends for the Syrian fighters the U.S. is supporting
- ^
"Saudi Arabia in talks with YPG to form new force"
.
Daily Sabah
. 30 May 2018.
Archived
from the original on 30 May 2018
. Retrieved
30 May
2018
.
- ^
"Trump's New Army? Saudi Arabia in Talks to Build Syria Arab Force, Report Says"
.
Newsweek
. 30 May 2018.
Archived
from the original on 31 May 2018
. Retrieved
31 May
2018
.
- ^
"Saudi Arabia pledges $100 million for SDF-controlled areas liberated from Daesh in Syria"
.
Daily Sabah
. 17 August 2018.
Archived
from the original on 20 August 2018
. Retrieved
20 August
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Irish, John (13 November 2013).
"Syrian Kurdish leader claims military gains against Islamists"
.
Reuters
.
Archived
from the original on 14 November 2013.
- ^
"Two Spaniards arrested on return from fighting ISIS in Syria"
.
EL PAIS
. 7 July 2015.
Archived
from the original on 25 January 2016
. Retrieved
19 January
2016
.
- ^
"General Commander of Syrian Democratic Forces Mazloum Abdi meets with visiting French delegation to discuss regional situation"
. SyriacPress. 8 November 2023
. Retrieved
26 March
2024
.
- ^
a
b
"France Admits Special Forces Operating on Ground With Rebels in Syria"
.
Newsweek
. 9 June 2016.
Archived
from the original on 23 August 2016
. Retrieved
22 August
2016
.
- ^
Coleman, Luke (5 March 2015).
"Assad: We Armed Kurds Before International Coalition"
.
basnews.com
. Archived from
the original
on 3 April 2015.
- ^
"???????? ?? ????? ??????? ?????? ?? ???????...????? ??????? ?????? ?????? ??? 700 ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ???? ??????? ?????? ??????? ? ?????? ?????? ????? ???????"
. 14 March 2018.
- ^
"Assad regime says it will continue to provide weaponry, money to Kurds"
.
DailySabah
. 20 April 2015.
Archived
from the original on 27 March 2019
. Retrieved
25 February
2019
.
- ^
"SDF, Iraqis Defend Syrian Border Town from IS"
. Voanews.com. 29 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 6 July 2018
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
"????? ??? ??? ??????????? ???????? ??? ?????? ??????? (?????)"
.
?????? ??
.
Archived
from the original on 16 June 2018
. Retrieved
31 March
2019
.
- ^
"Activists and a rebel commander say Kurdish fighters have launched an attack in northern Syria under the cover of Russian airstrikes to try and capture a military air base held by insurgents"
.
U.S. News & World Report
. 10 February 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
15 September
2017
.
- ^
"Russia cooperates with PYD against ISIL"
.
Today's Zaman
. 9 October 2015. Archived from
the original
on 29 October 2015.
- ^
"Russian support for PKK's Syrian arm PYD"
.
Anadolu Agency
.
Archived
from the original on 17 August 2016
. Retrieved
24 August
2016
.
- ^
"Kurds attack Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces with Russian help"
. i24 News. 28 November 2015.
Archived
from the original on 2 December 2015
. Retrieved
24 August
2016
.
- ^
"YPG advances near Turkey's border"
. Rudaw Media Network. 28 November 2015. Archived from
the original
on 8 December 2015.
- ^
Wood, L. Todd (8 February 2016).
"Russia supporting Kurdish groups in Syria to Turkey's detriment"
.
Washington Times
.
Archived
from the original on 15 July 2016
. Retrieved
24 August
2016
.
- ^
"???? ?? ????? ?????? ???? ??????? ?? ???? ????? ??????????? ???"
. Rudaw.net.
Archived
from the original on 19 August 2018
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
Glioti, Andrea (7 May 2013).
"Kurdish group gaining autonomy in northern Syria"
.
Al-Monitor
. Archived from
the original
on 21 November 2013
. Retrieved
12 August
2013
.
- ^
"Second HAT course members graduate ? ANHA"
. Archived from
the original
on 6 March 2017.
- ^
a
b
"Anti-IS coalition trains policemen for Syria's Raqqa"
.
Archived
from the original on 23 May 2017
. Retrieved
24 May
2017
.
"Raqqa Internal Security Force (RISF) ? Militia Trained by U.S. ? SOF News"
. 29 June 2017.
Archived
from the original on 4 July 2017
. Retrieved
30 June
2017
.
- ^
"Internal Security Forces in Deir ez-Zor graduated new course ? ANHA | HAWARNEWS | English"
.
Archived
from the original on 1 February 2019
. Retrieved
31 January
2019
.
- ^
"Die Welt: Die Christen in Syrien ziehen in die Schlacht"
.
Die Welt (in German)
. 23 October 2013.
Archived
from the original on 20 November 2013
. Retrieved
18 November
2013
.
- ^
Rudaw (6 April 2015).
"Rojava defense force draws thousands of recruits"
. Rudaw.
Archived
from the original on 22 June 2015
. Retrieved
22 June
2015
.
- ^
"Coalition and SDF are training a 30,000-strong Syrian border force"
. Thedefensepost.com. 13 January 2018.
Archived
from the original on 14 January 2018
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
"US Ups Border Training In Syria To Prevent IS Resurgence"
. Archived from
the original
on 14 January 2018
. Retrieved
25 March
2018
.
- ^
"Rojava Dispatch Six: Innovations, the Formation of the Heza Parastina Cewheri (HPC) ? Modern Slavery"
. 31 October 2015.
Archived
from the original on 18 August 2017
. Retrieved
17 March
2017
.
- ^
Lambert, Fred (1 November 2015).
"Syria: Joint Kurd-Arab-Assyrian force announces U.S.-backed offensive in al-Hasakah"
. UPI.
Archived
from the original on 30 November 2015
. Retrieved
1 December
2015
.
- ^
"Syrian Army, Kurdish forces clash fight for control of abandoned ISIS villages"
.
Al Masdar News
. 14 June 2017.
Archived
from the original on 4 September 2017
. Retrieved
27 July
2017
.
- ^
"Syrian army says forces have captured several villages from US-backed rebels"
. Independent. 29 April 2018.
Archived
from the original on 1 May 2018
. Retrieved
30 April
2018
.
- ^
"YPG, YPJ and Asayish forces control most of El New?e neighborhood"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 19 August 2016. Archived from
the original
on 22 August 2016
. Retrieved
21 August
2016
.
- ^
"Irani u hizbullahi ji bi rejime re ?er dikin"
(in Kurdish).
Hawar News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 22 August 2016
. Retrieved
22 August
2016
.
- ^
"Em li Heseke ?ere Hizbullah u Irane dikin?"
(in Kurdish).
Hawar News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 22 August 2016
. Retrieved
22 August
2016
.
- ^
"Jader assassination by Turkish MIT"
.
Hawar News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 23 August 2016
. Retrieved
24 August
2016
.
- ^
"In Syria, Russian bad faith turns fatal"
.
Washington Post
. 9 February 2018.
Archived
from the original on 10 October 2018
. Retrieved
16 February
2019
.
- ^
"Russians dead in 'battle' in Syria's east"
.
The Daily Star
. Dailystar.com.lb.
Archived
from the original on 5 February 2019
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
"?????? ???? ??? ????? ??????????? ???????? ????? ??? ????????"
.
- ^
Abu Zeid, Osama; Nelson, Maria (3 December 2015).
"Accusations, recriminations and bloodshed in north Aleppo arena as Kurds fear for Afrin"
.
Syria Direct
.
Archived
from the original on 6 December 2015
. Retrieved
4 December
2015
.
- ^
"YPG, allies clash with Syrian opposition groups in Aleppo"
. Middle East Eye. 29 November 2015.
Archived
from the original on 3 December 2015
. Retrieved
3 December
2015
.
- ^
"New U.S.-backed Syrian rebel alliance launches offensive against Islamic State"
.
Reuters
. 31 October 2015.
Archived
from the original on 17 November 2015
. Retrieved
3 December
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
"US sending arms to Kurdish-led SDF in Syria, Turkey's Erdogan outraged"
. ARA News. 25 September 2016. Archived from
the original
on 31 October 2016.
- ^
Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (30 August 2023).
"U.S. backed Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria battle Arab tribal unrest"
.
Reuters
. Retrieved
2 September
2023
.
- ^
Jeff Seldin (15 June 2023).
"Syrian Kurds Launch New Attempt to Prosecute Captured IS Foreign Fighters"
. VOA
. Retrieved
19 November
2023
.
[...] AANES' military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces [...]
- ^
"Journalists in northeastern Syria under heavy scrutiny by the SDF"
. english.enabbaladi.net. 1 November 2023
. Retrieved
19 November
2023
.
[...] the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and its military wing, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) [...]
- ^
Samer al-Ahmed; Mohammed Hassan (11 October 2023).
"Turkish escalation in northeastern Syria amid changes in military strategy"
. Middle East Institute
. Retrieved
19 November
2023
.
[...] the AANES and its military wing, the SDF [...]
- ^
"The American Deconfliction Disadvantage: Ankara's Drone Campaign in Syria and Iraq"
.
War on the Rocks
. 6 October 2021
. Retrieved
8 October
2021
.
- ^
Eskin, Ismail (15 November 2014).
"Chechens, Arabs and Kurds in Serekaniye fighting shoulder to shoulder against ISIS"
.
Diclehaber.com
.
Archived
from the original on 20 December 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
mahmou415 (24 August 2015).
"Faction Guide of the Syrian war ? Part 4 ? Rojava Kurds"
.
Middle East Observer
.
Archived
from the original on 20 December 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (30 August 2023).
"U.S. backed Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria battle Arab tribal unrest"
. Reuters
. Retrieved
2 September
2023
.
- ^
"All Peoples Stand Shoulder to Shoulder Against ISIS in Rojava"
. The Rojava Report. 26 November 2014.
Archived
from the original on 17 August 2017
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
Francis, Ellen (15 February 2017).
"Syrian Kurdish groups expect U.S. support, will fight any Turkish advance"
. Reuters.
Archived
from the original on 18 May 2017
. Retrieved
2 July
2017
.
Gutman, Roy (13 February 2017).
"America's Favorite Syrian Militia Rules With an Iron Fist"
.
The Nation
. Archived from
the original
on 16 February 2017
. Retrieved
16 February
2017
.
- ^
Elnaiem, Mohammed.
"Whose Free Syrian Army? The Arab opposition resisting Turkey's Afrin attacks"
.
theregion.org
. Archived from
the original
on 20 September 2020
. Retrieved
2 December
2021
.
- ^
"Syrian Democratic Forces set sights on IS stronghold"
. 15 December 2015.
Archived
from the original on 18 December 2015
. Retrieved
16 December
2015
.
- ^
Francis, Ellen (4 June 2017).
"U.S.-backed Syrian forces seize dam west of Raqqa from Islamic State: SDF"
.
Reuters
.
Archived
from the original on 4 July 2017
. Retrieved
2 July
2017
.
- ^
Van Wilgenburg, Wladimir.
"Kurds celebrate capture of key IS stronghold in Syria"
.
Middle East Eye
.
Archived
from the original on 19 November 2018
. Retrieved
19 November
2018
.
- ^
"US-backed forces seize Syria's Tabqa, dam from ISIS"
.
english.alarabiya.net
. AFP.
Archived
from the original on 13 May 2017
. Retrieved
11 May
2017
.
- ^
Pestano, Andrew V.
"Syrian milita nears full capture of Tabqa city, dam"
.
UPI
.
Archived
from the original on 2 October 2018
. Retrieved
19 November
2018
.
- ^
"Kurds, allies seize ISIS supply route on Syria-Iraq border"
.
ARA News
. 10 March 2016. Archived from
the original
on 5 December 2021
. Retrieved
19 November
2018
.
- ^
Francis, Ellen (11 May 2017).
"U.S.-backed Syria militias say Tabqa, dam captured from Islamic State"
.
Reuters
.
Archived
from the original on 10 May 2017
. Retrieved
2 July
2017
.
- ^
"Islamic State Isis defeated, US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announce"
.
The Guardian
. 23 March 2019.
Archived
from the original on 24 March 2019
. Retrieved
24 March
2019
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Honigman, Jonathan (2022).
"Never Mind Betrayal: America's Indifference to the Kurds is a Strategic Blunder"
(PDF)
.
Journal of Strategic Security
.
15
(1): 59?60.
doi
:
10.5038/1944-0472.15.1.1973
.
JSTOR
48652011
.
S2CID
247570085
– via
JSTOR
.
- ^
a
b
"Declaration of establishment by Syrian Democratic Forces"
. Kurdish Question. 15 October 2015. Archived from
the original
on 24 February 2016
. Retrieved
15 October
2015
.
- ^
Holmes, Amy Austin (28 July 2020).
"Arabs Across Syria Join the Kurdish-Led Syrian Democratic Forces"
. MERIP
. Retrieved
8 October
2020
.
- ^
"YPG, backed by al- Khabour Guards Forces, al- Sanadid army and the Syriac Military Council, expels IS out of more than 230 towns, villages and farmlands"
.
Syrian Observatory For Human Rights
. 28 May 2015.
Archived
from the original on 29 May 2015
. Retrieved
16 October
2015
.
- ^
Drott, Carl (25 May 2015).
"The Revolutionaries of Bethnahrin"
. Warscapes.
Archived
from the original on 13 November 2016
. Retrieved
12 October
2016
.
- ^
website), Al-Souria Net (opposition (14 December 2015).
"Haytham Manna Elected Joint Chairman of Syrian Democratic Council"
.
The Syrian Observer
.
Archived
from the original on 23 October 2017
. Retrieved
29 November
2017
.
- ^
Casagrande, Genevieve (20 January 2016).
"The Road to Raqqah"
(PDF)
.
The Institute for the study of War
.
- ^
publish2 (8 February 2021).
"Is the SDF a "Kurdish force?"
"
.
North press agency
. Retrieved
24 July
2023
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"Department of Defense Press Briefing by Gen. Townsend via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq"
.
defense.gov
. 1 March 2017
. Retrieved
24 December
2023
.
- ^
"US commander says Syrian Arab Coalition is now majority group within SDF"
.
Rudaw
. 3 March 2017
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
- ^
"How Trump Betrayed the General Who Defeated ISIS"
.
The New Yorker
. 4 April 2019
. Retrieved
5 December
2022
.
- ^
"Global powers seek to revive diplomatic process"
.
The Economist
. 12 February 2016.
Archived
from the original on 29 March 2016
. Retrieved
1 May
2016
.
- ^
"????? ??????? ??????? ?????? ????? ??????? ??? QSD"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 7 November 2015. Archived from
the original
on 18 November 2015
. Retrieved
24 November
2015
.
- ^
"?? ?? ???? ????? ???? ???????"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 22 November 2015. Archived from
the original
on 24 November 2015
. Retrieved
24 November
2015
.
- ^
a
b
c
"List of groups joining Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)"
.
Ethnic Maps of Kurd
. 8 July 2016. Archived from
the original
on 13 August 2017
. Retrieved
12 August
2017
.
- ^
"Syrian-Kurdish SDF successfully absorbing non-Kurdish groups, says US"
. Rudaw.
Archived
from the original on 12 March 2016
. Retrieved
9 March
2016
.
- ^
"Talal Silo: our major aim founding SDF was uniting military factions"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 10 October 2016. Archived from
the original
on 1 December 2017
. Retrieved
15 October
2016
.
- ^
"Anyone for Raqqa? There is less to the offensive on Islamic State's capital than meets the eye"
.
The Economist
. 11 November 2016.
Archived
from the original on 11 November 2016
. Retrieved
11 November
2016
.
- ^
"Department of Defense Press Briefing by Col. Dorrian via teleconference from Baghdad, Iraq"
.
US Department of Defense
. 8 December 2016.
Archived
from the original on 10 December 2016
. Retrieved
11 December
2016
.
- ^
"400 Sheitat tribesmen joined U.S.-backed alliance to fight ISIS: sources SYRIA NEWS | ZAMAN ALWSL"
.
En.zamanalwsl.net
. 7 January 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
31 March
2016
.
- ^
"Martyrs of Dam Brigade join Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) | Washington Kurdish Institute"
.
Dckurd.org
. 4 February 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 March 2016
. Retrieved
31 March
2016
.
- ^
"Dozens of young men join western-backed SDF to fight ISIS northeast Syria"
. ARA News. 12 March 2016. Archived from
the original
on 10 April 2016
. Retrieved
31 March
2016
.
- ^
"Who are the banner of free tenderness?"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 19 March 2016. Archived from
the original
on 7 November 2016
. Retrieved
12 November
2016
.
- ^
"YPG and FSA set up 'Joint Action Centre'
"
. Firat News. 11 September 2014. Archived from
the original
on 13 September 2014.
- ^
"Minbic military assembly established"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 3 April 2016.
Archived
from the original on 12 March 2017
. Retrieved
12 March
2017
.
- ^
"The Brigades of the Irvad rebels declare their joining the Syrian Democratic Forces in Tel Rifat Brive Aleppo"
. ARA News. 20 June 2016. Archived from
the original
on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
12 July
2017
.
- ^
"Kurdish-led SDF attracts more Arab fighters in Syria's Deir ez-Zor amid growing anti-ISIS campaign ? ARA News"
. 24 June 2016. Archived from
the original
on 29 June 2016
. Retrieved
12 July
2016
.
- ^
"158 ??????? ?????? ??????? ?? ?.?.?"
.
Hawar News Agency
. Archived from
the original
on 27 June 2016
. Retrieved
12 July
2016
.
- ^
"Syrian Democratic Forces aim to capture al-Bab, call for coalition support"
.
ARA News
. 15 August 2016. Archived from
the original
on 16 August 2016
. Retrieved
16 August
2016
.
- ^
"Kurdish-backed Jarabulus council warns Turkey of supporting ISIS north Syria ? ARA News"
. 22 August 2016. Archived from
the original
on 23 August 2016
. Retrieved
24 August
2016
.
- ^
"Ajansa Nuceyan a Firate"
. ANF. 22 August 2016.
Archived
from the original on 23 October 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
"Jarablus Military Council announced by groups within the Syrian Democratic Forces"
.
Archived
from the original on 25 August 2016
. Retrieved
24 August
2016
.
- ^
"Assassinator of Jader arrested"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 23 August 2016. Archived from
the original
on 2 November 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
"Sattar Jader, commanding general of the Jarabulus Military Council, assassinated"
.
Qasioun
. 22 August 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
23 August
2016
.
- ^
"Inspired by Kurdish units, al-Bab Military Council creates all-female battalion"
. ARA News. Archived from
the original
on 5 November 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
a
b
Hassan, Hassan (27 June 2017).
"The Battle for Raqqa and the Challenges after Liberation"
. Combating Terrorism Center at West Point.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2017
. Retrieved
27 June
2017
.
- ^
"Coalition works with SDF as they are a multi-ethnic force, spokesman says"
.
NRT
. 19 March 2017.
Archived
from the original on 19 March 2017
. Retrieved
19 March
2017
.
- ^
"US Gen. Townsend rebuffs Turkish reporter with 'political agenda' against SDF"
.
KomNews
. 29 March 2017. Archived from
the original
on 30 March 2017
. Retrieved
30 March
2017
.
- ^
Heller, Sam (30 June 2017).
"The Signal in Syria's Noise"
. warontherocks.com.
Archived
from the original on 30 June 2017
. Retrieved
30 June
2017
.
- ^
"The second regiment contains all Kobani components ? ANHA"
. Archived from
the original
on 29 March 2017
. Retrieved
11 April
2017
.
- ^
a
b
c
"YPG declares two regiments in Cizire Canton"
. ANF News.
Archived
from the original on 11 April 2017
. Retrieved
11 April
2017
.
- ^
Ergan, U?ur (15 June 2017).
"Turkey confirms internal fight in Free Syrian Army"
.
Hurriyet
Daily News
.
Archived
from the original on 29 August 2017
. Retrieved
17 June
2017
.
- ^
Said, Rodi (25 August 2017).
"U.S.-backed forces to attack Syria's Deir al-Zor soon: SDF official"
.
Reuters
.
Archived
from the original on 26 August 2017
. Retrieved
25 August
2017
.
- ^
"Former Euphrates Shield group joined SDF"
.
YPG
. 4 September 2017.
Archived
from the original on 10 September 2017
. Retrieved
9 September
2017
.
- ^
"Syrian Regime-Led militias defect and join the Kurdish units"
.
Al-Dorar Al-Shamia
. 10 September 2017. Archived from
the original
on 15 October 2017
. Retrieved
7 May
2018
.
- ^
Szuba, Jared (29 March 2019).
"ISIS's 'caliphate' was crushed. Now Syria's Kurd-led alliance faces bigger battles"
.
Defense Post
.
Archived
from the original on 2 April 2019
. Retrieved
19 April
2019
.
- ^
a
b
"U.S.-backed Syria forces say Turkey pressured commander into defecting"
. Reuters. 16 November 2017.
- ^
a
b
Statement to Public opinion
http://sdf-press.com/en/2017/11/public-opinion-statement-2/
Archived
1 December 2017 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
a
b
Reports: SDF spox Silo defects to FSA, Turkey
http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/151120171
Archived
16 November 2017 at the
Wayback Machine
, Rudaw English
- ^
2 minutes read (13 January 2018).
"Coalition and SDF are training a 30,000-strong Syrian border force"
. Thedefensepost.com.
Archived
from the original on 14 January 2018
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
"Trump hails fall of IS 'caliphate'
"
. 23 March 2019.
Archived
from the original on 24 March 2019
. Retrieved
24 March
2019
.
- ^
MFS Media Center (7 July 2019).
"???? ????? ?????? ??????? ???????? ??????? ? ????? MFS ? MNK"
.
Youtube
.
Archived
from the original on 13 November 2021
. Retrieved
10 July
2019
.
- ^
SyriacMilitaryMFS (8 July 2019).
"English statement of the formation of Syriac-Assyrian Military Council in Khabour region by Khabour Guards and Syriac Military Council, MFS"
.
Twitter
. Retrieved
10 July
2019
.
- ^
"The Safe Zone: Local Military Councils to Replace YPG on Syrian-Turkish Borders"
.
www.npasyria.com
.
- ^
"New Syrian military councils are the SDF's latest push for decentralization"
.
The Defense Post
. 23 June 2019.
Archived
from the original on 4 September 2019
. Retrieved
8 October
2019
.
- ^
Regan, Helen; Britton, Bianca (9 October 2019).
"Turkey launches offensive in Syria against US-backed militia"
.
CNN
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
"Turkey launches airstrikes on northern Syria after Trump pulls back U.S. troops"
.
www.cbsnews.com
. 9 October 2019.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
"The Latest: Australian PM worried IS may regroup in Syria"
.
AP NEWS
. 10 October 2019.
Archived
from the original on 20 October 2019
. Retrieved
21 October
2019
.
- ^
"Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on recent developments in north-east Syria ? Consilium"
.
www.consilium.europa.eu
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
Gutman, Roy
(12 October 2015).
"U.S. begins airdrops of weapons to Kurdish forces in northern Syria"
.
McClatchy
. Archived from
the original
on 13 October 2015
. Retrieved
13 October
2015
.
- ^
"Syrian Arab militias dispute they received U.S. airdrop of ammunition"
. McClatchy DC. 20 October 2015. Archived from
the original
on 24 November 2015
. Retrieved
9 November
2015
.
- ^
"Syria conflict: US air drop for anti-IS forces in Hassakeh"
. BBC. 12 October 2015.
Archived
from the original on 12 October 2015
. Retrieved
13 October
2015
.
- ^
"EXCLUSIVE: Interethnic coalition takes on the IS group in Syria"
.
France 24 (Youtube)
. 22 April 2016.
Archived
from the original on 28 April 2016
. Retrieved
24 April
2016
.
- ^
"Pentagon chief praises Kurdish fighters in Syria"
.
Hurriyet Daily News
. 18 March 2016.
Archived
from the original on 16 June 2016
. Retrieved
13 June
2016
.
- ^
"U.S. Troops 18 Miles from ISIS Capital"
.
The Daily Beast
. 27 May 2016.
Archived
from the original on 27 May 2016
. Retrieved
27 May
2016
.
- ^
"New details in the German, American and French forces support for The Syria Democratic Forces in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo (SOHR)"
. 15 June 2016.
Archived
from the original on 20 December 2016
. Retrieved
22 August
2016
.
- ^
"Mysterious American Flags In Northern Syria Were Planted By U.S. Troops, Pentagon Says"
.
Huffington Post
. 20 September 2016.
Archived
from the original on 20 September 2016
. Retrieved
20 September
2016
.
- ^
"YPG-led SDF capture 3 villages from ISIS in north Aleppo countryside"
. Al-Masdar News. 30 August 2016.
Archived
from the original on 15 September 2016
. Retrieved
9 September
2016
.
- ^
"US Military Builds a New Air Base in Northern Syria"
. Aviation Voice. 5 October 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2016
. Retrieved
6 October
2016
.
- ^
"US Military Builds a New Air Base in Oil-Rich Region North of Syria"
. Farsnews. 5 October 2016.
Archived
from the original on 5 October 2016
. Retrieved
5 October
2016
.
- ^
"U.S. builds two air bases in Kurdish-controlled north Syria: Kurdish report"
. Reuters. 6 March 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2016
. Retrieved
6 October
2016
.
- ^
"US Confirms Involvement in Syria Airfield Expansion"
. Voice of America. 4 February 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2016
. Retrieved
6 October
2016
.
- ^
"Inside Syria: The farm airstrip that's part of the U.S. fight against ISIS"
. CNN. 3 February 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2016
. Retrieved
6 October
2016
.
- ^
"U.S. troops take over air base in Syria, local reports say"
.
Military Times
. 21 January 2016.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2016
. Retrieved
6 October
2016
.
- ^
"US general: Syrian Democratic Forces will lead the assault on Raqqa"
. Stars and Stripes. 26 October 2016.
Archived
from the original on 1 November 2016
. Retrieved
31 October
2016
.
- ^
"American Is Killed in First Casualty for U.S. Forces in Syria Combat"
.
The New York Times
. 24 November 2016.
Archived
from the original on 30 September 2017
. Retrieved
3 March
2017
.
- ^
"ESU: URGENT APPEAL AFTER MANY CHRISTIANS FELL IN THE STRUGGLE TO LIBERATE RAQQA"
.
European Syriac Union
. 22 January 2017.
Archived
from the original on 6 April 2017
. Retrieved
5 April
2017
.
- ^
"MFS: WE ASK THE US FOR EQUAL SUPPORT AS IS GIVEN TO THE ARABS"
.
Syriac Military Council
. 3 April 2017.
Archived
from the original on 6 April 2017
. Retrieved
5 April
2017
.
- ^
"Kurd-led Syrian militia says Trump sent it armoured vehicles"
.
Middle East Eye
. 31 January 2017.
Archived
from the original on 31 January 2017
. Retrieved
1 February
2017
.
- ^
"US military displays SDF support, while Turkey calls for YPG to leave Manbij"
.
Rudaw
. 25 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on 28 February 2017
. Retrieved
28 February
2017
.
- ^
Babb, Carla (6 March 2017).
"US Troops in Manbij to 'Deter' Skirmishes Between Turks, Kurds"
. VOA News.
Archived
from the original on 7 March 2017
. Retrieved
7 March
2017
.
- ^
Wladimir van Wilgenburg (1 April 2017).
"US provides 30 vehicles to SDF-linked Arab forces as fight for Raqqa escalates"
. ARA News. Archived from
the original
on 1 April 2017
. Retrieved
1 April
2017
.
- ^
"Ever-closer ties between US and Kurds stoke Turkish border tensions"
.
The Guardian
. 1 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 1 May 2017
. Retrieved
1 May
2017
.
- ^
"Kurdish citizens 'rest easy' after American military patrols parade through cities in northern Syria"
.
syriadirect.org
. 2 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 2 May 2017
. Retrieved
3 May
2017
.
- ^
"Trump to Arm Syrian Kurds, Even as Turkey Strongly Objects"
.
The New York Times
. 9 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 10 May 2017
. Retrieved
9 May
2017
.
- ^
"In blow to U.S.-Turkey ties, Trump administration approves plan to arm Syrian Kurds against Islamic State"
.
Washington Post
. 9 May 2017.
Archived
from the original on 9 May 2017
. Retrieved
9 May
2017
.
- ^
"Trump OKs arms for Syrian Kurds, despite Turkish objections"
.
ABC News
. 9 May 2017. Archived from
the original
on 9 May 2017.
- ^
Wladimir van Wilgenburg (9 July 2017).
"8,500 SDF fighters trained by US-led coalition to combat ISIS, equipment delivered for 40,000 troops in Syria: official"
.
ARA News
. Archived from
the original
on 11 July 2017
. Retrieved
9 July
2017
.
- ^
"U.S. delivered 809 trucks of weapons to YPG in two months ? Map of Syrian Civil war/ Global conflict in Syria ? Syria news ? syria.liveuamap.com"
.
Map of Syrian Civil war/ Global conflict in Syria ? Syria news ? syria.liveuamap.com
.
Archived
from the original on 1 October 2017
. Retrieved
30 September
2017
.
- ^
"You are being redirected..."
nrttv.com
.
Archived
from the original on 1 October 2017
. Retrieved
30 September
2017
.
- ^
Sulaivany, Karzan.
"US sends over 100 more truckloads of weapons to YPG: report"
.
Kurdistan24
.
Archived
from the original on 1 October 2017
. Retrieved
30 September
2017
.
- ^
"The Pentagon Is Spending $2 Billion Running Soviet-Era Guns to Syrian Rebels"
.
Foreign Policy
. 12 September 2017.
Archived
from the original on 1 October 2017
. Retrieved
30 September
2017
.
- ^
Angelovski, Ivan; Marzouk, Lawrence.
"Revealed: The Pentagon Is Spending Up To $2.2 Billion on Soviet-Style Arms for Syrian Rebels ? OCCRP"
. OCCRP.
Archived
from the original on 28 September 2017
. Retrieved
30 September
2017
.
- ^
"Erdogan says he reached same 'wavelength' with Trump in call"
.
ABC News
. Archived from
the original
on 28 November 2017
. Retrieved
29 November
2017
.
- ^
Nalia Corporation.
"US armament of anti-ISIS Syrian Kurdish continue, says SDF official"
.
nrttv.com
.
Archived
from the original on 30 November 2017
. Retrieved
29 November
2017
.
- ^
"
'Many more' US troops in Syria and Iraq"
.
BBC News
. 28 November 2017.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2018
. Retrieved
29 November
2017
.
- ^
"US to keep supporting SDF, including Kurds, in Syria"
.
The Jerusalem Post
.
Archived
from the original on 29 November 2017
. Retrieved
29 November
2017
.
- ^
"Pentagon budget retains same troop levels in Iraq, Syria"
. Al-Monitor. 12 February 2018. Archived from
the original
on 13 February 2018
. Retrieved
13 February
2018
.
- ^
"Syrie : Emmanuel Macron annonce l'envoi de soldats au secours des Kurdes"
.
Le Parisien
(in French). 29 March 2018.
Archived
from the original on 29 March 2018
. Retrieved
29 March
2018
.
- ^
Saad, Hwaida; Nordland, Rod (20 December 2018).
"Kurdish Fighters Discuss Releasing Almost 3,200 ISIS Prisoners"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 2 July 2019
. Retrieved
15 October
2019
.
- ^
"U.S. Troops begin pulling out of Syria, leaving Kurds without support"
.
PBS
. 7 October 2019.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
Giglio, Mike (7 October 2019).
"Trump's Gift to ISIS"
.
The Atlantic
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
Schmitt, Eric; Haberman, Maggie; Wong, Edward (7 October 2019).
"President Endorses Turkish Military Operation in Syria, Shifting U.S. Policy"
.
The New York Times
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
"The Syrian Conflict Is About to Intensify"
.
Council on Foreign Relations
.
Archived
from the original on 9 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
"Syria: Events of 2018".
World Report 2019: Rights Trends in Syria
. 17 December 2018.
Archived
from the original on 31 October 2019
. Retrieved
9 October
2019
.
- ^
I-Fahim, II-DeYoung, III-George, I-Kareem, II-Karen, III-Susannah (21 October 2019).
"Trump says a limited number of troops will remain in Syria after ordering a complete withdrawal"
.
The Washington Post
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
{{
cite news
}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
Kube, Courtney (5 March 2019).
"Trump says he agrees '100%' with keeping U.S. troops in Syria"
.
NBC News
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
- ^
Biden, Joseph R. (8 June 2023).
"Letter to the Speaker of the House and President pro tempore of the Senate on War Powers Report"
.
WH.GOV
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
- ^
"OPERATION INHERENT RESOLVE AND OTHER U.S. GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES RELATED TO IRAQ & SYRIA"
(PDF)
.
media.defense.gov
. 9 November 2023
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
- ^
"Justification for FY 2023 Overseas Operations COUNTER-ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA (ISIS) TRAIN AND EQUIP FUND (CTEF)"
(PDF)
.
asafm.army.mil
. April 2022
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
- ^
"Justification for FY 2024 COUNTER ISLAMIC STATE OF IRAQ AND SYRIA (ISIS) TRAIN AND EQUIP FUND (CTEF)"
(PDF)
.
asafm.army.mil
. March 2023
. Retrieved
10 December
2023
.
- ^
"Tribes' Army disbands in north amidst accusations of YPG blockade"
. Syria Direct. 6 January 2016.
Archived
from the original on 19 November 2016
. Retrieved
4 December
2016
.
- ^
"Ultimele stiri si informatii despre Liwa Thuwwar Al Raqqa"
.
disperat.ro
. Archived from
the original
on 15 February 2016
. Retrieved
17 January
2016
.
- ^
"On the Front Line in the Bloody Fight to Take Manbij From ISIS"
.
The Daily Beast
. 5 June 2016.
Archived
from the original on 6 June 2016
. Retrieved
6 June
2016
.
- ^
"SDF-led Manbij Military Council cuts off ISIS supply route between Raqqa and Manbij"
. Ara News. 5 June 2016. Archived from
the original
on 6 June 2016
. Retrieved
5 June
2016
.
- ^
"Free Raqqa Brigade denies split with the Syrian Democratic Forces"
.
DW
. 3 September 2016.
Archived
from the original on 3 September 2016
. Retrieved
3 September
2016
.
- ^
"
"Intentionally" fights Arab allies .. and "revolutionaries tenderness" reveal planned"
.
Baladi News
. 27 December 2016.
Archived
from the original on 28 December 2016
. Retrieved
28 December
2016
.
- ^
"
"Thwar al-Raqqa" Brigade Attacks the pro-Assad regime "Tajamou' al-Shamal" north of #Raqqa"
.
El-Dorar Al-Shamia
. 23 February 2017
. Retrieved
13 March
2017
.
[
permanent dead link
]
- ^
"#Syria ? Raqqa ? Thuwar Raqqa faction assaults a pro?Assad faction"
.
Yallasouriya
. 23 February 2017.
Archived
from the original on 14 March 2017
. Retrieved
13 March
2017
.
- ^
"A spokesman for the Syrian Elite Forces: We are not part of "intentionally" and are open to the Peshmerga, "Rogge"
"
.
Rudaw
. 10 April 2017.
Archived
from the original on 15 May 2017
. Retrieved
5 May
2017
.
- ^
"A SPOKESMAN FOR THE ELITE FORCES: CONTINUE OUR EFFORTS UNTIL THE LIBERATION OF RAQQA AND DEIR AL-ZOUR"
.
Syria's Tomorrow Movement
. 15 April 2017.
Archived
from the original on 24 April 2017
. Retrieved
5 May
2017
.
- ^
"Military police of SDF arrest leader of al-Bakkara Youth Gathering Yasser al-Dahla, the defected of Syrian Elite Forces"
.
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
. 2 October 2017.
Archived
from the original on 2 October 2017
. Retrieved
2 October
2017
.
- ^
"SDF forces impose curfew in Syria's Raqqa, citing instability, Islamic State attacks"
. Middle East Eye. 24 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 24 June 2018
. Retrieved
25 June
2018
.
- ^
"Raqqa city on lockdown as US-backed forces clash with local Arab faction"
.
Syria Direct
. 25 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 6 July 2018
. Retrieved
8 July
2018
.
- ^
"Internal Security ended emergency state"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 25 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 30 June 2018
. Retrieved
8 July
2018
.
- ^
"Brigade of Raqqa Revolutionaries to where ... New and exclusive details"
.
Reporters Without Borders in Raqqa
. 27 June 2018.
Archived
from the original on 30 June 2018
. Retrieved
8 July
2018
.
- ^
"???? ???? ???? ????? ???? ??????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ???????????"
. YouTube. 6 July 2018.
Archived
from the original on 13 November 2021
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
Al-Khalidi, Suleiman (30 August 2023).
"U.S. backed Kurdish-led forces in eastern Syria battle Arab tribal unrest"
.
Reuters
. Retrieved
2 September
2023
.
- ^
"Statement by Manbij Military Council (March 16, 2017)"
. YPG Rojava. 16 March 2017.
Archived
from the original on 22 April 2017
. Retrieved
5 June
2017
.
- ^
"Manbij Military Council on torture allegations: We are committed to laws of war"
.
Hawar News Agency
. 16 March 2017. Archived from
the original
on 23 June 2017
. Retrieved
5 June
2017
.
- ^
Wladimir van Wilgenburg (18 March 2017).
"Five SDF members arrested for torturing ISIS militant"
.
ARA News
. Archived from
the original
on 18 May 2017
. Retrieved
5 June
2017
.
- ^
a
b
"Syria: Mass death, torture and other violations against people detained in aftermath of Islamic State defeat ? new report"
.
Amnesty International
. 17 April 2024
. Retrieved
25 May
2024
.
- ^
"Turkey accuses Kurdish forces of 'ethnic cleansing' in Syria"
. Agence France-Presse. 16 June 2015.
Archived
from the original on 5 November 2018
. Retrieved
27 August
2018
.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday said he was troubled by the advance of Kurdish forces, saying they could in the future create a structure to threaten Turkey.
- ^
Saeed, Yerevan (14 October 2015).
"US voices concern over allegations of rights violations by YPG"
.
Rudaw
.
Archived
from the original on 8 December 2015
. Retrieved
20 October
2015
.
We'll look closely at all these accusations to determine whether there's any veracity to the claims ... We call on those who actually are or will participate in administering these areas to do so inclusively and with respect for all groups regardless of ethnicity
- ^
a
b
c
"SYRIA: 'WE HAD NOWHERE TO GO' ? FORCED DISPLACEMENT AND DEMOLITIONS IN NORTHERN SYRIA"
. Amnesty International. 13 October 2015.
Archived
from the original on 13 October 2015
. Retrieved
28 August
2018
.
- ^
"Syria and Islamist groups guilty of war crimes, YPG cleared: UN report"
.
Kom News
. 15 March 2017. Archived from
the original
on 17 March 2017.
- ^
Antonopoulos, Paul (15 March 2017).
"UN report counters Amnesty International's claim that Kurds are ethnically cleansing in Syria"
.
Archived
from the original on 18 May 2017
. Retrieved
9 May
2017
.
- ^
"UN report refutes ethnic cleansing claims against Syrian Kurdish YPG, SDF"
. 14 March 2017.
Archived
from the original on 28 September 2017
. Retrieved
9 May
2017
.
- ^
Amnesty International (13 October 2015),
"We had nowhere else to go": Forced displacement and demolitions in northern Syria
,
archived
from the original on 13 November 2021
, retrieved
19 March
2016
- ^
Refugees, United Nations High Commissioner for.
"Refworld | 2014 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices ? Syria"
.
Refworld
.
Archived
from the original on 19 November 2018
. Retrieved
19 November
2018
.
- ^
U.N. Security Council
(5 June 2015).
Report of the Secretary-General: Children and armed conflict
(Report). para. 191.
Archived
from the original on 7 December 2017
. Retrieved
31 March
2019
.
Actual numbers are expected to be higher.... A number of pro-Government groups, including Hizbullah, also reportedly recruited children in small numbers.
- ^
"Syria: 4 brigades of the Free Syrian Army commit to prohibit sexual violence and the use of child soldiers [EN/AR] ? Syrian Arab Republic | ReliefWeb"
. Reliefweb.int. 3 July 2017.
Archived
from the original on 28 August 2018
. Retrieved
26 March
2019
.
- ^
"Syria: Kurdish Forces Violating Child Soldier Ban Despite Promises, Children Still Fight"
.
Human Rights Watch
. 15 July 2015.
Archived
from the original on 21 July 2015
. Retrieved
15 July
2015
.
- ^
Perry, Tom; Malla, Naline (10 September 2015).
"Western states train Kurdish force in Syria, force's leader says"
.
Reuters
.
Amnesty International this month faulted the Kurdish administration for arbitrary detentions and unfair trials.... [Ciwan] Ibrahim said ... efforts were underway to improve its human rights record.... The Geneva Call ... promotes good treatment of civilians in war zones...
- ^
YPG demobilizes 21 children under the age of 18 from the military service in its ranks
(Report).
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
. 28 October 2015. Archived from
the original
on 21 November 2015.
- ^
"Syria: Armed Group Recruiting Children in Camps"
.
Human Rights Watch
. 3 August 2018.
Archived
from the original on 8 January 2019
. Retrieved
14 September
2018
.
- ^
"SDF command issues order banning child recruitment"
.
Kurdistan 24
.
Archived
from the original on 14 September 2018
. Retrieved
14 September
2018
.
- ^
"SDF signs UN plan to end use of children in Syrian conflict"
.
The Defense Post
. 2 July 2019.
Archived
from the original on 3 July 2019
. Retrieved
5 November
2019
.
- ^
"General Assembly Security Council Seventy-fourth session Seventy-fifth year Agenda item 66 (a) Promotion and protection of the rights of children"
(PDF)
. United Nations
. Retrieved
16 June
2020
.
Bibliography
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Overviews
|
---|
Main overviews
| |
---|
Effects and ongoing concerns
| |
---|
Phases and processes
| |
---|
World reaction
| |
---|
Specific groups and countries
| |
---|
Agreements and dialogues
| |
---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|