|
Kurds, rebels cut ISIS supply line in Hasakah
HASAKAH – Backed by the U.S.-led coalition’s warplanes, Kurdish-Arab alliance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) expelled Wednesday militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) from a key town in northeastern Syria.Subsequent to clashes with ISIS militants, the SDF has recaptured the Umm Madfah town in Hasakah province, on the Syrian-Iraqi border. Umm Madfah was a main supply route for ISIS jihadis between their de facto capital of Raqqa and the southern countryside of Hasakah province, northeastern Syria. The town had also served as a meeting point for ISIS jihadis during their movements between Syria and Iraq. “By retaking Umm Madfah, our fighters were able to block the ISIS supply line between Raqqa and Hasakah,” SDF official spokesman Talal Silo told ARA News. “Also, the movement of the terrorists was paralyzed after this victory by our forces in northern Syria.” ISIS Under SDF Fire The SDF, which includes Kurdish, Arab and Christian units, had earlier liberated more than 240 towns and villages from ISIS militants on the border with Iraq, the last of which was Shaddadi–main ISIS bastion in Hasakah province. Two weeks ago, the SDF alliance had seized control of a key gas facility and main financial resource for the Islamic State (ISIS) radical group in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province. The western-backed forces regained control of the Jibisa gas facility, located about 12km east of Shaddadi city in southern Hasakah. The facility had been used by ISIS for nearly two years as a source to fund its operations. Informed sources told ARA News that ISIS used to produce 5,000 gas cylinders a day in Jibisa to be sold at the black-market. Local sources reported that ISIS has been coordinating with the Syrian regime to sell the gas it used to extract from Jibisa fields, and that the regime’s employees have been working in the facility even during ISIS control. Jibisa gas facility is considered one of the main gas facilities in northern Syria for its huge production that has been feeding power stations in central Syria. The facility was run by some 500 workers, including specialized engineers, technicians and workers. Posted by: badanov 2016-03-10 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=448482 |