Significant losses for the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

Kurds expel Islamic State group from Syria’s Kobane; Iraqi forces ‘liberate’ Diyala from IS

 

Kurdish fighters have expelled jihadists from the Islamic State group from the Syrian border town of Kobane after more than four months of fighting, a monitor said Monday.

Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP that fighters from the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) had “expelled all Islamic State fighters from Kobane and have full control of the town.”

“The Kurds are pursuing some jihadists on the eastern outskirts of Kobane, but there is no more fighting inside now.”

The loss of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, would be a key symbolic blow against IS, which has lost more than 1,000 fighters trying to capture the town since September 16.

Meanwhile, a Dutch citizen who went to fight with Kurdish forces against the Islamic State, Richard Jansen, was seriously injured in a fight against IS militants.

“I am one of the westerners over here with Rich. He is currently in hospital recovering well from a very serious injury sustained during heavy fighting against ISIL,” another western fighter wrote on Facebook about Jansen.

“I would like to add that the bravery and courage he displayed the day he was injured no doubt saved many of his comrades lives,” he added.

At one time it looked set to overrun the town, which lies on the Syrian-Turkish border, with its superior firepower and waves of foreign fighters.

But Kurdish fighters backed by US-led air strikes have gradually pushed back the jihadists, with analysts saying the loss could put the brakes on their plans for expansion in Syria.

Battle not over in Syria’s Kobane: US

The United States said Monday the battle for control of the Syrian town of Kobane was continuing, on despite claims by Kurdish leaders that their forces have recaptured the area from Islamic State jihadists.

Kurdish forces, backed up by US-led coalition air strikes, had made progress in recent fighting but “Kobane remains contested,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The IS group “has put a great deal of resources into Kobane,” she told reporters. “They’re clearly not succeeding, and we are pushing them back. But I don’t have confirmation fully of it being a complete process.”

The Pentagon also said it could not confirm accounts from Kurdish militia and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that Kurdish fighters had full control of the town near the Turkish border.

“I’m not prepared to say the battle is won. The battle continues, but friendly forces have the momentum,” spokesman Colonel Steve Warren told reporters.

Kurdish forces now controlled about 70 percent of the territory in and around Kobane, he said.

Meanwhile, Iraqi forces have “liberated” Diyala from the Islamic State group, retaking all populated areas of the eastern province, a top army officer said on Monday.

The symbolic victory for Baghdad, which has at times struggled to push IS back, could clear the way for further advances against the jihadists

“We announce the liberation of Diyala from the (IS) organisation,” Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir al-Zaidi said.

“Iraqi forces are in complete control of all the cities and districts and subdistricts of Diyala province.”

Diyala has seen months of fighting, especially in the Jalawla and Saadiyah areas in the province’s north, which were held by IS, and areas near the town of Muqdadiyah, which the militants repeatedly attacked but never took.

The last battle for a populated part of the province began last Friday in an area of villages near Muqdadiyah, northeast of Diyala capital Baquba.

Zaidi and district council chief Adnan al-Tamimi both said that Iraqi forces are now in control of the entire area.

Zaidi said that 58 members of pro-government forces were killed and 248 were wounded in the fighting, while “more than 50” IS fighters died. He added that there are thousands of bombs left behind by IS in villages north of Muqdadiyah, which will be a major challenge to clear.

The general said that there will still be further fighting against IS in the rural Hamreen mountains, which stretch across multiple provinces, including Diyala.

The victory could see more forces brought to neighboring Salaheddin province, potentially including militant-held Tikrit.

IS spearheaded a militant offensive that began in the northern city of Mosul in June and swept down to overrun much of Iraq’s Sunni Arab heartland.
Iraqi federal forces, Kurdish troops, Shiite militiamen and Sunni tribesmen are all fighting against the jihadists in various parts of the country.

A US-led coalition is carrying out air strikes against IS in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria, and also advising and training Iraqi forces.

Monday’s announcement does not mean the problem of violence in Diyala — which suffered from frequent attacks even before the IS drive — is over.

Much will depend on how well Iraqi forces are able to hold retaken territory and efforts to reconstruct areas damaged by the fighting.

(with AFP)

 

I24 NEWS