ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have finally broken the back of ISIS defences in Hajin, liberating the town centre after weeks of stalemate.
“Today the SDF liberated central Hajin from Daesh [ISIS] as the fight nears its conclusion,” tweeted head of the SDF’s press office Mustafa Bali on Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day, Bali had said their forces fended off five car bombs as militants tried to retake ground they had lost in the town.
Images shared on social media show the SDF flag flying in the central bazaar.
Hajin is located in the Euphrates River valley, where some 2,500 ISIS militants have been fighting to hold onto their last significant territory after losing the swathes of Iraq and Syria they once controlled.
“We’ve gotten to a point where almost every ISIS fighter is wearing a suicide vest. The extent of IEDs and placement – it’s very, very difficult fighting. So it’s taking some time,” Brett McGurk, US presidential envoy to the war against ISIS, told reporters on Tuesday.
The SDF suffered heavy casualties over the past six weeks as ISIS took advantage of bad weather and extensive knowledge of the terrain. The coalition kept up heavy air bombardment and the Kurdish-led forces began to gain the upper hand last week.
Kurdish commanders are worried, however, that Turkish threats against them near the border could impact their operations against ISIS, drawing fighters away from the battlefield to defend territory to the north.
“Today the SDF liberated central Hajin from Daesh [ISIS] as the fight nears its conclusion,” tweeted head of the SDF’s press office Mustafa Bali on Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day, Bali had said their forces fended off five car bombs as militants tried to retake ground they had lost in the town.
Images shared on social media show the SDF flag flying in the central bazaar.
Hajin is located in the Euphrates River valley, where some 2,500 ISIS militants have been fighting to hold onto their last significant territory after losing the swathes of Iraq and Syria they once controlled.
“We’ve gotten to a point where almost every ISIS fighter is wearing a suicide vest. The extent of IEDs and placement – it’s very, very difficult fighting. So it’s taking some time,” Brett McGurk, US presidential envoy to the war against ISIS, told reporters on Tuesday.
The SDF suffered heavy casualties over the past six weeks as ISIS took advantage of bad weather and extensive knowledge of the terrain. The coalition kept up heavy air bombardment and the Kurdish-led forces began to gain the upper hand last week.
Kurdish commanders are worried, however, that Turkish threats against them near the border could impact their operations against ISIS, drawing fighters away from the battlefield to defend territory to the north.
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