by: sdf-press.com
ISIS fighters launched several counter-attacks on the newly-established positions of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) inside the town of Hajin in the middle Euphrates River Valley, a spokesman for the SDF annonced on December 20.
“Heavy clashes are taking place there, only 35% percent from Hajin is liberated by our forces,” Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the SDF, said on Twitter.
Bali blamed the U.S. decision to withdraw its forces from Syria for the high morale of ISIS fighters. However, he said later that US-led coalition warplanes are supporting the SDF and targeting the terrorist group’s forces.
“We think that ISIS will keep launching attacks in the future, everybody should be aware that ISIS is still strong,” the SDF spokesman added.
Despite the SDF’s claims, ISIS has not annonced any new attacks in the Euphrates Valley. Moreover, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the SDF advanced in Hajin and the nearby village of Bukhatir in the last 24 hours.
Bali’s statements are likely an attempt to take advantage of the ongoing anti-ISIS operation in the Euphrates Valley to pressure the U.S. and force it to cancel its decision to withdraw troops from Syria.
