EUPHRATES RIVER, Syria — Following months of escalating Turkish aggression that threatened the stability of the Tishreen dam, one of northeast Syria’s most vital infrastructure projects, the Global Coalition has brokered a ceasefire between Turkey, Turkish-backed militias, and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The agreement comes after sustained drone strikesContinue Reading
DAMASCUS — The political landscape of Syria remains in flux following a rapid offensive late last year that saw Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seize control of Damascus. Since then, the fate of Syria’s autonomous northeast has hung in the balance. Despite their geographic isolation, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)—aContinue Reading
ALEPPO, Syria – After months of rising tensions, a significant agreement has been reached concerning the status of the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh in Aleppo, Syria’s second biggest city. The deal, finalized earlier this month, marks a key turning point in efforts to stabilize the fractured northern cityContinue Reading
HASAKAH, Syria — Yazidis across northeast Syria gathered this week to celebrate Red Wednesday, the Yazidi New Year, after the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria officially recognized the occasion as a public holiday. The move is part of a broader effort to preserve and promote the region’s multi-ethnicContinue Reading
WASHINGTON — In a swift policy reversal, the White House has moved to reinstate several emergency food aid programs, including critical support for conflict-stricken regions of Syria. The decision was communicated through an internal email from Jeremy Lewin, acting deputy director of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), instructingContinue Reading
Late Sunday night ten members of a single family were killed between the villages of Qomji and Barkh Botan outside of Kobani. The dead include a man and woman and their eight children. The only surviving member of the Othman Abdo family, a 9 nine year old girl, was severelyContinue Reading
Despite an existing ceasefire, intense fighting has continued between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) groups, with Turkish airstrikes providing support to the SNA. Fighting has remained concentrated near the Euphrates, in the region separating Manbij and Kobani, especially around the Tishreen Dam. The DamContinue Reading
Over the past week there has been a bloody massacre of Alaawites in Syria, including killings of women, children, the elderly, and noncombatants. The death toll is in the thousands and climbing. The atrocities committed by extremist militants have been documented and posted on social media by the militants themselves. Scores of horrific videos haveContinue Reading
In the permanently altered political situation in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime, the status of ten thousand ISIS fighters, including two thousand foreigners, as well as tens of thousands of women and children related to them, remains unclear. The SDF and Internal Security Forces of the AutonomousContinue Reading
Yesterday, Turkish fighter jets and drones conducted a series of airstrikes against several targets near Shaddadi, south of Hasakah in North-East Syria. An SDF military position, housing for civilian workers, and a civilian vehicle transporting local shepherds were all hit. In total, 16 airstrikes targeted the region, killing four SDF members, sixContinue Reading
(from left) Sinam Mohamad, Chief of Mission of SDC-US and Dace Melbārde, Parliamentary Secretary at the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “We need to empower women to actively participate in politics, otherwise we risk perpetuating old cycles of poverty and discrimination. It starts with breaking stereotypes in family and society,Continue Reading
The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) attended this year’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) week at the United Nations, an annual event held in October to highlight the importance of gender equality in peace-building efforts around the world. The global WPS agenda is based around UN Security Council Resolution 1325, whichContinue Reading
According to local sources, militants from the Samarkand faction of the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) have cut down dozens of trees near Haj Hassane village in the countryside of Afrin. They have also imposed fees of $1 per tree on the olive tree owners of Rajo district to moveContinue Reading
Following the 2024 US presidential elections, the military and political leadership of northeast Syria, including Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) Co-Chair Leyla Qehreman and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Commander Mazloum Abdi, congratulated President Trump on his victory. The SDF and SDC had extensive contacts during the previous Trump Administration, includingContinue Reading
The Syrian Democratic Forces launched one of the most comprehensive counter-terrorism operations since ISIS’ territorial Caliphate came to an end in 2019 during Operation “Enduring Security.” This latest operation has now concluded its second and final phase, with the help of the US-led International Coalition to Defeat ISIS. The firstContinue Reading
At the end of October 2024, Turkish military forces launched an enormous wave of airstrikes against mostly civilian targets in northeast Syria. Millions of people in the region, already battered by previous strikes, a siege-like economic embargo, and incoming refugees fleeing Lebanon’s war, have seen their daily lives become increasinglyContinue Reading
ISIS is once again active in Syria. There has been a recent surge in ISIS attacks, including attacks on Syrian troops – the soldiers of Bashar al-Assad – in the desert. In the first three months of 2023, ISIS in Syria killed 84 Syrian soldiers and 44 civilians. In MarchContinue Reading
Turkish-backed militias recently removed the iconic Kurdish statue of Kawa the Blacksmith, replacing it with a large, shiny, army-green design representing a cluster of olives representing Operation Olive Branch.Continue Reading
The schedule move has prompted many to speculate on whether US-Turkey relationship is becoming even more problematic than before.Continue Reading
The families receiving these homes were falsely registered as the legal owners of houses that were destroyed by the February 2023 earthquake.Continue Reading
Throughout North and East Syria, women marked International Women’s Day with marches, rallies, seminars, special events, and declarations. They acknowledged the gains in women’s freedoms that have occurred, while also vowing to continue the struggle for equality, human rights, and power to control their own destinies. They danced, enjoyed music,Continue Reading
The YPJ Women’s Protection Units are military units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) of North and East Syria. To commemorate International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023, and their 10th anniversary, they issued a statement reaffirming their commitment to fighting for their rights and the rights of all women. “InContinue Reading
On December 28, 2022, 1,000 members of the Syrian Democratic Forces and Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (NES), in coordination with the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS, launched a major operation to target ISIS cells in the Tel Hamis, Tel Barak, and Al-Hol regions of NES. TheContinue Reading
In a first for the region, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Autonomous Administration (AANES), and Democratic Union Party (PYD) received a high-level delegation from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Bafel Talabani, the head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan Party, Commander of Combined Joint Task Forces – Operation Inherent ResolveContinue Reading
The State Department praised Spain’s efforts to repatriate its citizens from North and East Syria, as the state became the first to repatriate individuals affiliated with ISIS in 2023, bringing two women and 13 children home. Days later, Barbados repatriated a female ISIS member and two children from the campContinue Reading
Conflict Armament Research (CAR), an organization dedicated to tracking the origins of weapons and weapon components used in war, has found evidence of European Union-manufactured components being used in missiles fired by Turkish drones in North and East Syria. The organization stated that after analyzing the remnants of 17 air-to-surfaceContinue Reading
On January 10, 2023, a press conference was held between the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) and National Alliance For Syria (NAFS) in the city of Qamishli. Both parties jointly announced the results of a series of meetings held since December, in which the potential Erdogan-Assad reconciliation and its political, military,Continue Reading
The Turkish military launched a major air assault on North and East Syria on the night of November 19, 2022, going into the morning of the 20th. The scale of the attack was unprecedented since the Turkish invasion of the region in October 2019, when the Turkish military occupied theContinue Reading
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated on November 21 that Turkey’s most recent operation against North and East Syria is not limited to its activities in the air. This statement comes as Turkey has been threatening a renewed ground offensive in North and East Syria against the Autonomous Administration sinceContinue Reading
SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi was hosted by Columbia University’s Director David Phillips in an informative discussion held on the “Security Situation in North and East Syria.” The recent Turkish escalation and airstrike campaign, along with the status of the anti-ISIS campaign, and relations with the US were at the forefrontContinue Reading
Dozens of Turkish airstrikes struck North and East Syria on the evening of November 19 and into the morning of November 20 2022. Kobani, the city that became famous for its status as a symbol of resistance to ISIS, was targeted several times, leading to the city’s primary COVID-19 treatmentContinue Reading
United States Central Command confirmed that a Turkish airstrike on a joint Coalition-SDF military base in North and East Syria posed a risk to US troops and personnel. Turkish warplanes continue to pound targets across North and East Syria, and in an unprecedented escalation, including one of the most essentialContinue Reading
The Syrian Democratic Forces and US military personnel of the International Coalition to Defeat ISIS conducted military exercises near the village of Teqil Beqil, in the Derik region of North and East Syria. The military exercises are the closest to be conducted to the Turkish border, in this case inContinue Reading
For nearly two weeks, the SDF and Asayish, with full support from the Coalition to Defeat ISIS, has been conducting an enormous security operation in the sprawling al-Hawl Camp, dubbed “Operation Humanity and Security.” The rising threat from ISIS sleeper cells, and the continuing threat of al-Hawl as an “incubatorContinue Reading
On September 3, 2022 SDF and Asayish forces conducting “Operation Humanity and Security” in al-Hawl Camp discovered and rescued a Yazidi woman who was being forcibly held in the camp. The woman’s name is Wafaa Abbas and she is originally from Kocho, Sinjar. Now 18, she was originally kidnapped byContinue Reading
The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria celebrated its fourth anniversary on September 6, 2022 with AANES officials meeting in Raqqa to commemorate the anniversary, remember those who have been killed while serving the region, and to discuss the greatest issues facing it. Farhad Shibli, the Deputy Co-Chair ofContinue Reading
11 years have passed since the start of the Syrian Conflict, and Turkey’s approach to the conflict and its interests have evolved. With elections set for June, 2023 on the horizon, Turkey’s political leaders, both in government and opposition, have refocused their approach to Syria based on the goals ofContinue Reading
The Turkish Military has drastically escalated its drone strike campaign against the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces since July 15, 2022. While Turkish drones have been an ever present threat in the region since Turkey’s military invasion and occupation of Ras al-Ayn andContinue Reading
The general license allows US businesses to invest in agriculture, clean energy, power grid infrastructure, information and telecommunications, transportation and warehousing, construction, finance, water and waste management, manufacturing, trade, health, and education.Continue Reading
The White House statement grants authority to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to increase the amount of US government spending that is permitted for “the cost of construction and repair projects in support of the Counter-ISIS campaign in Iraq and Syria.”Continue Reading
Why aren’t there more news media reports about the situation in Afrin? Turkey does not allow reporters into the Afrin region, unless they are strictly managed and do not stray from their official Turkish handlers.Continue Reading
Under the new amendment, nonprofit organizations can transact with entities in Syria to offer humanitarian aid, invest in non-commercial development projects, and generally conduct food/medical/education aid and assistance, as well as other activities.Continue Reading
“President Biden did not give a green light to a Turkish military operation in northern Syria,” said James Jeffrey, who was the US Special Envoy for Syria Engagement until late 2020.Continue Reading
The government of Catalonia, Spain, voted to officially recognize the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) on October 20, 2021. Approving a resolution that was initially presented in parliament in July 2021, Catalan lawmakers voted to recognize the AANES as a “political entity.”Continue Reading
The reception that Ahmad and her delegation received was friendly, with many legislators and officials expressing a willingness to protect the US partnership and further stabilize their region. Continue Reading
During Executive President Ahmad’s visit to Washington DC in September 2021, she met with a wide variety of US officials.Continue Reading
Turkey seems to be trying to fabricate an ancient religious site called Nebi Huri, about 35 miles (45 kilometers) outside of Afrin, Syria, in the region of Syria occupied by the Turkish military and their proxies. They are replacing current Kurdish features with structures in the Ottoman style and destroying ancient Roman features of the site. Continue Reading
This “terrorism fallacy” in the logic of international law is being erroneously applied to the people of North and East Syria. There can be no clearer picture of this error than the images of dead children and a one-year-old baby girl in a hospital in Raqqa — dead at the hands of Turkey.Continue Reading
Macron, Ahmed, and other officials discussed peace talks on Syria and the need for the democratic project in North and East Syria to be supported.Continue Reading
The United Nations Security Council voted on July 9, 2021, to keep one UN humanitarian border crossing, Bab al-Hawa. The other major UN humanitarian crossings, Bab al Salam and al-Yaroubiah, remain closed. Russia was the UNSC member who blocked the re-opening of Bab al Salam and al-Yaroubiah. The closure ofContinue Reading