U.S. Abandons Syrian Kurds

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The United States has abandoned the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), leaving the group exposed to the Islamist-led Syrian Transitional Government (STG), which captured most of the north and east of the country in a lightning offensive.

The government began its offensive from Aleppo city on January 6, using the failure of a merger agreement signed with the SDF in March of last year as a casus belli. Government forces brought the Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsuod and Ashrafieh under their control by January 10.

With no reaction from the U.S., the STG moved its offensive to the eastern Aleppo countryside on January 13, mainly to the towns of Maskanah and Deir Hafer.

Following mediation from Washington, SDF commander-in-chief, Mazloum Abdi said on January 16 that his forces would withdraw from the towns the next day. STG forces violated the withdrawal agreement by attacking Kurdish forces on January 17. Later on the same day, the government said that it would attack the town of al-Tabqah in the southern Raqqa countryside.

An uprising by Arab tribes broke out in Deir Ezzor on the same day in Deir Ezzor. Tribal fighters backed by STG forces captured the entire eastern Deir Ezzor countryside, including the al-Omar field and the Conoco gas plant.

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Abdi signed a new merger agreement later on January 18. However, it collapsed within a few hours.

The next day, January 19, STG forces entered the city of Raqqa and began advancing in Kurdish-majority al-Hasakah, amid a complete collapse in the ranks of the SDF. In al-Hasakah, government forces entered al-Shaddadi in the southern countryside and released ISIS detainees from a prison there.

On January 20, STG forces expanded their control into the eastern countryside of al-Hasakah, capturing al-Hawl camp, where over 25,000 relatives of ISIS are held, as well as the al-Ya’rubiyah crossing on the border with Iraq.

The government later on the same day announced a four-day ceasefire as a part of an agreement with the SDF to implement the January 18 agreement. Commenting, U.S. envoy to Syria Tom Barraсk said that the purpose of the SDF had “expired.”

All in all, it appears that the U.S. has abandoned the SDF. The government promised not to enter Kurdish areas, but its forces are already preparing a final push to capture al-Hasakah and Kobani.

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