You have commented 375 times on Rantburg.

Your Name
Your e-mail (optional)
Website (optional)
My Original Nic        Pic-a-Nic        Sorry. Comments have been closed on this article.
Bold Italic Underline Strike Bullet Blockquote Small Big Link Squish Foto Photo
Submit your comments on this article
Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Betrayed and Cornered: How the U.S. Abandoned Syria’s Kurds While Damascus Offers Paper Guarantees
2026-01-18

Text:

🇸🇾 Betrayed and Cornered: How the U.S. Abandoned Syria’s Kurds While Damascus Offers Paper Guarantees
They’re consolidating their caliphate.
Syria’s war is entering a new phase, and its long-time U.S. ground partner against ISIS — the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — is once again being sacrificed. This is unfolding amid talk of strikes on Iran, Syria–Israel contacts, and renewed U.S. engagement with Damascus.

In January 2026, under direct pressure from U.S. military commanders, Kurdish forces withdrew from the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh districts of Aleppo, which they had controlled since 2012. SDF leader Mazloum Abdi was advised to hand over the areas without resistance. Damascus then pushed further, deploying Islamist forces toward Kurdish-held Deir Hafir [video], east of the Euphrates. With U.S. personnel also appearing on the scene, Kurdish units soon withdrew from Deir Hafir and Maskanah. The Euphrates now separates the sides, while oil-rich Deir ez-Zor may be next.

Read more at the link
Related:
Sheikh Maqsoud: 2026-01-14 Syrian army intensifies attacks on SDF-held areas
Sheikh Maqsoud: 2026-01-13 Analysis: A Narrowing Window for the SDF in Northern and Eastern Syria
Sheikh Maqsoud: 2026-01-11 Syrian Army (former HTS) carried out night-time attacks against Kurdish Internal Security Forces in Sheikh Maqsoud, pacifying with tanks and artillery
Posted by:badanov

#1  comments); ?>werwer
Posted by: Mercutio   2026-01-18 09:11  

00:00