BEIRUT: US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria announced Friday a fresh campaign to hunt down remnants of the Daesh group near the Iraqi border following a recent uptick in attacks.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led paramilitary alliance that has spearheaded the ground fight against Daesh in Syria since 2015, said that the new campaign is being carried out in coordination with the Iraqi army and the US-led coalition.
“This campaign will target ISIS’s hideouts and hotbeds,” it said, using a different acronym for the militant group.
It said operations will focus on the vast east Syria desert near the border with Iraq where Daesh has conducted a spate of attacks in recent months.
Since the loss of its last territory in Syria in March 2019, Daesh attacks have been restricted to the vast desert that stretches from the heavily populated Orontes valley in the west all the way to Iraqi border.
It regularly targets SDF forces and has vowed to seek revenge for the defeat of its so-called “caliphate”.
The SDF, with backing from its coalition allies, launched a campaign to hunt down sleeper cells after it forced Daesh militants out of their last Syrian redoubt in the desert hamlet of Baghouz in March 2019.
A raid in October by US special forces killed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of the militant group which once controlled large swathes of territory in both Iraq and Syria.
Last month, the United Nations accused the Daesh group and others in Syria of exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to step up violence on civilians, describing the situation as a “ticking time-bomb”.
Across the border in Iraq, Daesh has exploited a coronavirus lockdown, coalition troop withdrawals and simmering political disputes to ramp up attacks.
Iraq declared Daesh defeated in late 2017 but sleeper cells have survived in remote northern and western areas, where security gaps mean the group wages occasional attacks.
They have spiked since early April as militants plant explosives, shoot up police patrols and launch mortar and rocket fire at villages.
Syria Kurdish-led force launches new anti-Daesh campaign
https://arab.news/rjrz4
Syria Kurdish-led force launches new anti-Daesh campaign
- Operations will focus on the vast east Syria desert near the border with Iraq
GCC states ‘face reliance on Saudi Arabia for food imports’
- With 70 percent of food coming through Strait of Hormuz, analysts warn of inevitable shortages
DUBAI: Some Gulf states may have to rely on overland food deliveries from Saudi Arabia if the US-Israel-Iran war continues to disrupt shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and restrict regional airspace, analysts warned on Thursday.
The region is up to 90 percent dependent on food imports, and price surges and scarcity of some goods are expected.
“With over 70 percent of GCC foodstuffs being imported through the Strait of Hormuz, Gulf states face shortages if the war persists,” said Neil Quilliam of the Chatham House think tank.
“While GCC countries have taken steps to diversify suppliers and ensure sufficient stores to withstand disruption, this can only last several months. At this point, price increases and longer lead times will start to hit the markets.”
Commodities analyst Ishan Bhanu said: “The biggest immediate effect will be due to the blockade of Jebel Ali in Dubai, serving about 50 million people. Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq effectively become landlocked and will depend on overland routes through Saudi Arabia.”
Bottlenecks are yet to show and the UAE has said its strategic reserves of vital goods cover four to six months of needs. It urged residents to report unjustified price increases through a dedicated hotline.
Supermarket staff throughout the Gulf said shelves remain largely stocked, though suppliers are taking longer to replenish certain products. Iran’s strikes on the Gulf since Saturday prompted panic buying in supermarkets, a dry run for what could come.
“Perception of risk matters, and even if stocks are sufficient now, public runs on supermarkets can spook the public,” Quilliam said.
