SDF repels IS attacks on al-Shaddadi

HASAKAH, Syrian Kurdistan (K24) – On Tuesday, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by US-led strikes managed to repel several Islamic State (IS) attacks on the newly-liberated town of al-Shaddadi, in northeastern Syria.

Fierce clashes broke out on Monday in al-Shaddadi’s suburbs between IS extremists and the Kurdish-Arab SDF alliance, causing casualties on both sides.

SDF Spokesman Colonel Talal Silo told K24 on Tuesday, “After liberating [al-Shaddadi] along with the surrounding countryside last Friday, IS extremists launched a counterattack in an attempt to recapture the town, re-entering al-Shaddadi's western and southern suburbs.”

“But our forces, with the aid of coalition airstrikes, pushed IS back, killing dozens of terrorists; at least 10 of our fighters lost their lives,” he said.

Regarding the reason behind IS’ numerous attempts to recapture the strategic town also known as al-Shaddadah, Silo said, “Apart from al-Shaddadi’s abundance of oil wells and gas fields, it occupies a strategic position on the key routes to Raqqa and Mosul, the largest IS hubs in Syria and Iraq.”

Additionally, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Wednesday that a German YPG fighter was killed with three other YPG fighters during clashes between IS and SDF near al-Shaddadi in southern Hasakah Province. 

Al-Shaddadi's liberation is a significant SDF victory largely because it was there that IS planned many attacks on Kurdish-held territories in Hasakah Province.

On Feb. 16, SDF launched a three-day military campaign termed “Wrath of Khabour” culminating in SDF leadership announcing al-Shaddadi's liberation on Feb. 19.
 
Reporting by Hisham Arafat

Editing by Benjamin Kweskin and Karzan Sulaivany