BEIRUT: A powerful Syrian Kurdish militia announced on Sunday it had cleared Daesh group fighters from key territory east of the winding Euphrates River.
In a surprising announcement, the People’s Protection Units (YPG) also said the victory in Syria’s Deir Ezzor province came with logistical and air support from Russia, as well as the US-led coalition, its traditional backer.
The YPG was spearheading a US-backed offensive to oust Daesh from territory east of the Euphrates River, which cuts diagonally across Deir Ezzor, while rival Russian-backed Syrian troops battled Daesh on the western bank.
It appears to the first time Syria’s Kurds acknowledge receiving direct Russian support.
On Sunday, YPG officials met with a Russian military delegation in a town on the eastern bank of Deir Ezzor province, according to the Kurdish-run ANHA news agency.
“The eastern countryside of the city has been fully liberated from Islamic State... with the international coalition and Russia’s support,” YPG spokesman Nuri Mahmoud said in a statement referring to Daesh.
“We thank the international coalition and the Russian forces for their air, logistical, advisory support and coordination on the ground.”
Mahmoud said the YPG “hoped for an increase in support and the provision of air defense and required cover.”
Daesh jihadists once held most of oil-rich Deir Ezzor, but now control only a tiny sliver of the province, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
On Sunday, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said Daesh still held several villages in the province, on both banks of the Euphrates River.
The YPG formed the bulk of the Syrian Democratic Forces, an Arab-Kurdish alliance that ousted Daesh from swathes of northern and eastern Syria, with help from the US-led coalition.
In September, the SDF began its assault on Daesh positions in the eastern half of Deir Ezzor province, as Russian-backed government troops squeezed Daesh in the western half.
The SDF accused Moscow of striking its forces several times during the drive, which makes Sunday’s announcement of Russian support all the more surprising.
Last week, the White House said it would be making “adjustments” to its military support of militia in Syria.
The US-led coalition has provided air support, weapons, and advice to the YPG and SDF in their push against Daesh.
![]()
Kurds announce Daesh losses in east Syria with US, Russia help
Kurds announce Daesh losses in east Syria with US, Russia help
Turkish, Greek leaders voice desire to resolve issues
- Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan say they discussed their issues 'in an open and sincere way'
- The NATO allies but historic rivals try to build on warming relations
ANKARA: The leaders of Turkiye and Greece voiced their desire to resolve longstanding maritime disputes hobbling ties during discussions in Ankara on Wednesday, as the NATO allies and historic rivals try to build on warming relations.
The neighbors have been at odds over a range of issues for decades, primarily maritime boundaries and rights in the Aegean, an area widely believed to hold energy resources and with key implications for airspace and military activity.
Following years of heightened tensions, a 2023 declaration on friendly relations prompted a thaw in rhetoric, though their maritime issues have remained unresolved and the two sides still disagree over regional matters.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said they had discussed their issues in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean “in an open and sincere way” during the talks.
“While the issues may be thorny, they are not unsolvable on the basis of international law. I saw that we were in agreement with my friend Kyriakos,” Erdogan said.
He added that the two countries would continue working to achieve their goal of reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade.
Mitsotakis said he hoped circumstances would allow the sides to solve a dispute on the demarcation of maritime and exclusive economic zones in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
If not now when?
“It is time to remove any substantial and formal threats to our relations, if not now, when?” Mitsotakis said.
“Destiny has appointed us to live in the same neighborhood. We cannot change geography, but we can make it an ally, choosing convergence, dialogue and trust in international law... to build a future of peace, progress and prosperity for our people.”
Despite the positive tone, Greece’s foreign minister earlier said Athens planned to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean.
Shortly after, Ankara said it had issued a maritime notice urging Greece to coordinate research activities in areas of the Aegean that Turkiye considers part of its continental shelf.
In 1995, Turkiye’s parliament declared a casus belli — a cause for war — should Greece unilaterally extend its territorial waters beyond six nautical miles in the Aegean, a stance Athens says violates international maritime law. Greece says it wants only to discuss demarcation of maritime zones.
Migrant flows
Mitsotakis also said the flows of migrants in the Aegean Sea had decreased by almost 60 percent last year due to cooperation between the two countries, adding this should be strengthened.
Fifteen migrants died in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Chios last week after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and sank in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Turkiye is a transit country for migrants seeking to reach the European Union via Greece. Ankara says the EU has not fully delivered on commitments under a 2016 migration deal and Athens wants Turkiye to do more to curb irregular crossings.
The neighbors have been at odds over a range of issues for decades, primarily maritime boundaries and rights in the Aegean, an area widely believed to hold energy resources and with key implications for airspace and military activity.
Following years of heightened tensions, a 2023 declaration on friendly relations prompted a thaw in rhetoric, though their maritime issues have remained unresolved and the two sides still disagree over regional matters.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said they had discussed their issues in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean “in an open and sincere way” during the talks.
“While the issues may be thorny, they are not unsolvable on the basis of international law. I saw that we were in agreement with my friend Kyriakos,” Erdogan said.
He added that the two countries would continue working to achieve their goal of reaching $10 billion in bilateral trade.
Mitsotakis said he hoped circumstances would allow the sides to solve a dispute on the demarcation of maritime and exclusive economic zones in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean.
If not now when?
“It is time to remove any substantial and formal threats to our relations, if not now, when?” Mitsotakis said.
“Destiny has appointed us to live in the same neighborhood. We cannot change geography, but we can make it an ally, choosing convergence, dialogue and trust in international law... to build a future of peace, progress and prosperity for our people.”
Despite the positive tone, Greece’s foreign minister earlier said Athens planned to extend its territorial waters further, including potentially in the Aegean.
Shortly after, Ankara said it had issued a maritime notice urging Greece to coordinate research activities in areas of the Aegean that Turkiye considers part of its continental shelf.
In 1995, Turkiye’s parliament declared a casus belli — a cause for war — should Greece unilaterally extend its territorial waters beyond six nautical miles in the Aegean, a stance Athens says violates international maritime law. Greece says it wants only to discuss demarcation of maritime zones.
Migrant flows
Mitsotakis also said the flows of migrants in the Aegean Sea had decreased by almost 60 percent last year due to cooperation between the two countries, adding this should be strengthened.
Fifteen migrants died in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Chios last week after their boat collided with a Greek coast guard vessel and sank in the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast.
Turkiye is a transit country for migrants seeking to reach the European Union via Greece. Ankara says the EU has not fully delivered on commitments under a 2016 migration deal and Athens wants Turkiye to do more to curb irregular crossings.
Latest updates
Recommended
© 2026 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.