"In little more than a fortnight, a dramatic Syrian government offensive appears to have undone over a decade of Kurdish self-rule in the north-east and extended President Ahmed al-Sharaa's control. The Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) held around a quarter of the country and many critical resources but were forced out of much of it within days. Though the SDF has effectively agreed to dissolution in principle, it has not shown it will do so in practice: a worrying sign for a fragile truce."
"If the US has turned its back on the SDF, the second abandonment in this crisis is the western failure to deal with the tens of thousands of suspected IS members and their families held in previously SDF-run prison camps such as al-Hawl including their own nationals. The EU says that alleged breakouts are of paramount concern. In a country already struggling to recover from decades of Assad family dictatorship and years of civil war, the risks are immense."
A rapid Syrian government offensive in little more than a fortnight appears to have ended over a decade of Kurdish self-rule in the north-east and extended President Ahmed al-Sharaa's control. The Kurdish-dominated SDF, which once held around a quarter of the country and many key resources, was forced out of much territory within days. The SDF has agreed to dissolution in principle but has not demonstrated implementation, threatening the fragile truce. US frustration over SDF integration and a turn toward Damascus coincide with western failures to manage tens of thousands of suspected IS detainees, producing significant regional and global risks.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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