Battles less intense between Jihadists and Kurds in Syria /Al Monitor article: The Kurdish card

6-2-2014 –  Perhaps one of the biggest ironies in the eastern area’s military scene is that various armed factions have united against the Kurdish forces, specifically the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in the north of Hassakeh.

This is clear in the context of the confrontations in the north of the region and in Kurdish villages and towns. But the battles have been less intense than before, when the factions, including ISIS, didn’t hesitate to target any gathering in these areas. Jihadist groups have accused the YPG and the Democratic Union Party of partnering with the Syrian regime and of seeking to fight all the opposition factions.

    Still, the regime retains wide control in Hassakeh city and in the city of Qamishli. That means, according to the jihadist groups, there’s an implicit alliance between the Kurds and the regime to defeat the opposition fighters. But the confrontation is deferred because the priority for ISIS is to get rid of all the oppositionists who are still fighting ISIS.

    Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/security/2014/02/syria-eastern-region-harsh-front.html##ixzz2sYQ4vLEF  – Posted by Wladimir van Wilgenburg