A Syrian Kurdish militia on Monday said it was nearly in full control of the northeastern city of Hasakah, gaining territory at the expense of troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad’s government, Reuters reported.
Daesh launched a major attack on the city on June 25 in an attempt to seize the southern part of the city from the Syrian army. The fighting eventually drew in fighters from the YPG, resulting in the US-backed Kurds fighting the militants in close proximity to government forces shunned by Washington.
Speaking with Reuters, YPG spokesman Redur Xelil said, “The regime has collapsed. It could not protect the city and its continuation has become symbolic in limited positions only.”
The statement is at odds with Syrian state media reports which said the army was making progress against Daesh forces southeast of the city.
Xelil said the YPG militia had encircled Daesh fighters within the city and had managed to cut off all routes in and out of Hasakah, a claim later corroborated by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The YPG and the Syrian government have mostly coexisted in predominantly Kurdish areas of Syria where a Kurdish administration has emerged since the uprising against Assad erupted in 2011, Reuters reported.
