Syria's Kurdish Forces halt joint operations with US-led anti-ISIS coalition

Shafaq News/ The internationally backed Syrian Democratic Forces, which led the fight against ISIS in Syria, has halted all joint counter-terrorism operations due to Turkish bombardments of areas under its control, it said on Friday.

“All co-ordination and joint counter-terrorism operations with the coalition [against ISIS]” had been halted, spokesman Aram Henna told Reuters.

The SDF is a grouping of factions led by Kurdish forces. It led the ground attack on ISIS that defeated the group in Syria in 2019.

Sporadic attacks and bombings still take place, however, and with international assistance, the SDF has maintained raids on group sleeper cells.

It also guards tens of thousands of former ISIS fighters, their families and international recruits who travelled to join the group in Syria.

Turkey has blamed a bombing in central Istanbul on November 13, which killed six and wounded 81, on Kurdish separatist groups it sees as the same as the factions that make up the SDF.

Despite warnings from both Russia — which backs Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad — and the US — which backs the SDF — not to launch an invasion of north-east Syria, Turkey has been shelling positions and preparing an attack.