SDF Prisoners in STG Hands
In the last months during various attacks and skirmishes, the STG has taken an unknown number of SDF POW. While prisoner’s release is supposed to be a part of the integration agreements, little headway has been made on the issue. In Qamishlo families have been protesting this, demanding information about their loved ones from STG. Often no information is know at all, not even if they are alive or dead.
There are also a number of civilians unaccountated for with no information of their status or whereabouts. Two journalists were also dissappeared from Raqqa, one of them is an internationalist woman.
Continued Increase of ISIS Threat and Attacks
ISIS issued a new call for jihad against the STG, calling al-Sharaa an apostate who is serving western powers. While al-Sharaa himself has his history in al-Qaeda, his pragmatism and willingness to (at least on the face) moderate his islamist agenda has been causing frustration with more radical islamist forces both within the STG and with other groups such as ISIS.
The monthly average of ISIS attacks is still up at 20. With prisoner transfers to Iraq, STG releasing prisoners when taking over previously SDF administered facilities, escapes from al-Hol and the general instability in the region, ISIS is taking its chances where it can to advance and disrupt.
Ilham Ahmed and Rojhilat Afrin at EU parliament
Ahmed and Afrin have been meeting with EU committees about the situation of the Kurdish population in NES. They emphasized the role the SDF has played against ISIS, the need for constitutional rights and the obstacles for IDP’s to return to their homes. They also demanded that the EU take a more active stance as a guarantor.
Pressure on Shengal
Tension in Shengal has been increasing as Turkish foreign minister Hakkan Fidan has threatened operations in Shengal, Makhmur and Qandil to be carried out by the Iraqi Hashd al-Shaʿbi forces. Iraqi military presence has visibily increased in the region. Iraqi forces have been disarming Yezidi’s, while effectively surrounding Shengal with the army. There are ongoing negociations to integrate Sinjar Resistance Units (YBŞ) into the Iraqi army. YBŞ has shown openness to dialogue on the matter, though with the red-lines that forces in their areas need to remain fully Yezidi, and that they will not integrate into Hashd al-Sha’bi. The YBŞ stated that if Shengal will be attacked, they will fight back fiercly.
Iran War
The recent attacks of US and Israel on Iran will impact Syria in ways we can only speculate. As for now, Iranian missiles already landed on Syrian soil, some even killing civilians on southern Syria. Syrian aviation authorities also decided to close airspace in southern Syria, probably under requests of US. Beyond immidiate consequences like that, the ongoing attacks will influence not only the fate on Iran but of the whole middle east. The imperialist agressions of US and Israel aim for the collapse of the regime of the ayatollahs in Iran, and the regime will answer desperetly in front of such an existential threat.
