Kurdish fighters advance in Hasakah after clashes with Syria Islamists

ARA News – 23-5-2014 – Tel Temir, Hasakah, Syria– Kurdish fighters of the Popular Protection Units (YPG) gained on Tuesday control over Tawilat al-Wakka’ village in the countryside of Tel Temir town (50 km west of Hasakah city), northeast Syria, after clashes with members of al-Qaeda splinter group of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

Omar M., a resident of the nearby al-Ghibesh village, told ARA News that violent clashes broke out between the YPG and ISIL in the village of Tawilat al-Wakka’, located near the Hasakah-Aleppo international highway in Tel Temir countryside. According to local activists, Tawilat al-Wakka’ village is deemed to have a strategic location, with a high hill in its center overlooking most of the surrounding villages. Taking over Tawilat al-Wakka’ village is believed to improve the position of the Kurdish YPG forces –military arm of the Democratic Union Party (PYD)– in the area to score more advance towards controlling other ISIL-held surrounding villages in Tel Temir countryside. In another context, Marqas Noya, a resident from Tel Taweel village near Tawilat al-Wakka’, told ARA News that the majority of Tel Taweel villagers have left their houses and headed towards the neighbouring villages due to fear of sudden shots as YPG-ISIL clashes continue in the area. “The clashes that took place last night (Tuesday) resulted in the death of Hamad al-Mutliq, one of the villagers, while his wife was seriously injured when stray bullets reached them,” Noteworthy, ISIL group dominates the international highway between Tel Temir-Aleppo as the Kurdish forces of the YPG are trying to record progress in this direction. Yet ISIL militants try to advance east towards the YPG-held central town of Tel Temir.