Kurdish-led forces to respond to Syrian army attacks near Raqqa

RAQQA, Syria (Kurdistan24) – The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighting the Islamic State (IS) on Monday threatened retaliation against the Syrian army that targeted their positions near Raqqa.

“The Syrian government and its allies are trying to obstruct the liberation of Raqqa,” Talal Silo, the spokesperson of the SDF, said in a statement.

Silo’s statement came as a response to the attacks on the SDF’s positions near Tabqa by warplanes allegedly belonging to the Syrian government or their allies.

Silo added the attacks targeted SDF areas near the town of Tabqa and the adjacent dam, Syria's largest, which was liberated from IS in May.

“If the [Syrian] regime continues attacking our positions in Raqqa Province, we will be forced to retaliate and defend our forces,” the SDF spokesperson declared.

Early Sunday evening, a US fighter jet downed a Syrian plane that dropped bombs targeting the US-backed, Kurdish-led SDF near Tabqa.

The US Central Command later issued a statement saying the Syrian plane was downed “in collective self-defense of Coalition-partnered forces,” referring to the SDF fighters.

The US statement further detailed that at 6:43 p.m., a Syrian aircraft dropped bombs near SDF fighters, and an F/A-18 Super Hornet, launched from the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier, shot the plane down.

Sunday’s events mark the first time in nearly 20 years a US pilot shot down a manned enemy aircraft, according to Military Times.

The incident also marks the fourth time in a month the US has engaged with pro-regime forces in Syria.

With the defeat of IS in sight, US authorities want to keep the focus on finishing that fight.

Hence, the US statement affirms, “The Coalition does not seek to fight Syrian, Russian or pro-regime forces partnered with them.”

Regarding the latest on the offensive launched two weeks ago to retake the city of Raqqa, the SDF on Tuesday said they killed 34 IS insurgents in the last two days in the east, west, and north of the city.

The SDF is a Syrian Kurdish-Arab alliance force of which the Kurdish YPG and their all-female brigade of YPJ form a key component.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany