ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are in control of approximately 40 percent of Syria following their recent advances into regime-held areas in the east, a representative of the force’s political wing in Washington said on Saturday.
“Today, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) control approximately 40% of Syrian territory following recent developments,” Bassam Ishak told Rudaw.
The SDF announced on Friday that they had deployed to areas previously held by the Syrian army in the eastern province of Deir ez-Zor. The army withdrew as it is facing a rapidly moving offensive by rebel forces in the north and west.
Ishak said the deployment was necessary to avoid a “security vacuum.”
“This vacuum causes someone to fill it in order to provide security for the citizens. It is unreasonable to leave such a vacuum without a system in these areas to facilitate citizens' lives. Therefore, the Syrian Democratic Forces moved to fill this vacuum after the withdrawal of regime forces from these areas,” he said.
One of the potential security risks comes from a resurgent Islamic State (ISIS).
SDF General Commander Mazloum Abdi told reporters on Friday that “there are increased activities of ISIS mercenaries in the Badia region, and the south, and east of Deir ez-Zor, and Raqqa. There are movements and they have taken control of some areas recently.”
He said that they are working with the United States-led global coalition to recapture these areas.
Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army. They quickly took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the largest in the country, and then advanced to capture the strategic central province of Hama. They also took control of Daraa city late on Friday and are reportedly advancing towards the capital Damascus.
The SDF lost control of the Shahba area in northern Aleppo to Ankara-backed militias after HTS took over most of the province.
