Author: Mahmoud Hassano and Khalil al-Ashawi
TABUKA, Jan 18 (Reuters) – Syrian government forces are moving into the outskirts of Raqqa city and deeper into the country’s northeast, the last stronghold of the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led self-government, government officials and security sources said on Sunday.
Two Syrian military sources said tanks had begun moving into Raqqa, once controlled by Islamic State and captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in October 2017.
Thousands of residents took to the streets of Raqqa to celebrate the Syrian army’s advances and SDF troops withdrew their equipment, two residents said.
The army and its Arab tribal allies earlier seized control of the main oil and gas fields in Deir ez-Zor east of the Euphrates River – a main source of revenue for the Kurdish-led forces – dealing a major blow to the group.
Syrian President Ahmed Sala said last week that it was unacceptable for the militia (Syrian Democratic Forces) to control a quarter of the country and its main oil and commodity resources.
U.S. special envoy Tom Barak, who met with the Kurdish leader in Erbil in northern Iraq, was in Damascus to hold talks with Shala on the latest developments, government officials said, as Washington urged both sides to de-escalate tensions.
Washington is torn between preventing the collapse of its Kurdish partner’s autonomous enclave, which played a central role in defeating the Islamic State in Syria, while supporting Shala’s efforts to consolidate control over the rest of the country.
Sala vowed to prevent Syria from dividing along sectarian and ethnic lines, while Kurdish leaders said they did not seek secession but a decentralized state.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday he had spoken to Salad to express his concerns about the government’s ongoing offensive against Western-backed Kurdish-led forces.
Macron, whose country has been part of mediation efforts between Damascus and the Kurds, said on Saturday the offensive needed to stop.
Sipan Hamo, the head of the YPG, the main Kurdish force within the SDF, told Reuters the United States should take stronger action to end the offensive.
He said the United States should offer protection guarantees to the Kurds given their “concern about the changes that are taking place.”
“Our best hope is that we can get tangible results, especially from the coalition and the United States, that mean they will intervene in existing problems more forcefully than they have done so far,” Hamer said.
Syrian government forces seize oil and wheat-producing areas
Syrian troops are advancing into predominantly Arab areas of northeastern Syria controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), despite U.S. calls to halt the advance.
A government source said Kurdish-led forces were defeated after an offensive led by Arab tribal fighters, allowing the government and its tribal allies to enter the area east of the Euphrates from Baghouz, near the Iraqi border, toward major towns including Shuhail and Busailah.
Syrian government officials said the developments effectively brought much of Deir ez-Zor province – the country’s main oil and wheat-producing region along the Euphrates River – under their control.
Late on Saturday, the army also took control of the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the Freedom Dam (formerly the Renaissance Dam) west of Raqqa.
Syrian Kurdish authorities have yet to acknowledge the loss of the strategic sites but say fighting continues near the dam area and accuse Damascus of violating an agreement to withdraw troops from areas east of Aleppo to expand its offensive.
Syrian Kurdish officials say government-aligned factions are still attacking their forces despite efforts to reach a peaceful outcome. The civil administration that governs the region says Damascus intends to sow divisions between Arabs and Kurds.
“We are at a critical juncture. We can either resist or live with dignity and face all types of injustice,” they said in a statement, urging residents of Arab-majority areas to support the SDF.
“We call on our people, especially the young, to take up arms and prepare to resist any attack. We are facing a battle for survival,” the statement added.
The government has called on SDF fighters – most of them from Arab tribes – to defect. Hundreds of people are said to have switched sides and joined tribal forces fighting the SDF.
The government’s rapid progress has been aided by thousands of Arab tribal fighters who have taken up arms against the SDF, reflecting years of resentment over forced conscription and the marginalization of the oil-rich region.
The SDF denies favoring Kurds in its governing body, saying its leadership reflects the diversity of Syrian society.
(Reporting by Team Damascus; Writing by Suleiman al Khalidi; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle and Jane Merriman)
