U.S. CETCOM Commander Meets Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria
U.S. CENTCOM Gen. General Erik Kurilla (L) and a commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (R), Dec. 10, 2024. X/ @stratejik_ortak
December 11, 2024 Hour: 8:33 am
The U.S. has long partnered with the SDF in the fight to defeat ISIS.
On Tuesday, General Erik Kurilla, the top commander of the U.S. military in the Middle East, visited the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria to be briefed on ongoing efforts to prevent the resurgence of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
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The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) head “visited U.S. military commanders and servicemembers, as well as our Defeat-ISIS partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces, at several bases in Syria. He received a firsthand assessment of force protection measures, the rapidly evolving situation, and ongoing efforts to prevent ISIS from exploiting the current situation,” CENTCOM said.
The United States has long partnered with the SDF in the fight to defeat ISIS. The SDF is separate from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the main rebel group that toppled the government of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Later, Kurilla visited Baghdad, where he met with the Iraqi prime minister and military leaders, along with the U.S. commander of the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve “for an assessment of the D-ISIS mission inside Iraq and Syria,” CENTCOM said.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) gained full control of the eastern Syrian city of Deir al-Zour following the reported withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces to areas east of the Euphrates River. Hassan Abdel Ghani, a HTS commander, said that their fighters now hold all of Deir al-Zour city and continue to advance in rural areas.
“Our combatants are pressing forward in the suburbs, having secured the city center along with both western and eastern countrysides,” the commander said.
On Wednesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF had pulled out of Deir al-Zour and the nearby city of Al-Bukamal, returning to areas east of the Euphrates River. The SDF had taken control of Deir al-Zour earlier following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The Kurdish forces, previously seen as a dominant force in parts of northeastern Syria, appear to have ceded ground as militant groups, led by the HTS, stake their claims on strategic territories and key population centers
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua
