BALADI NEWS
The ongoing drawdown of U.S. troops from northeast Syria has made Coalition allies’ sustained commitment to the counter-ISIS mission significantly more difficult, according to a European diplomat with responsibility in the region.
So far, American troops in Syria’s northeast have served as a unifying force among the area’s various factions. Now, with the Americans’ step-by-step departure, the security situation appears to be deteriorating, the diplomat told The Defense Post.
“It’s not going the right way, especially in the Arab areas. We were in Raqqa last year. We couldn’t go to Raqqa now, it’s deteriorated so much,” he said, referring to his country’s diplomatic team, which oversees de-mining efforts and limited reconstruction activities.
The Syrian Democratic Forces captured Raqqa from Islamic State in October 2017, but heavy Coalition bombardment has left much of the city in ruins, and ISIS sleeper cells and booby-traps remain.
A British delegation to northeastern Syria in June avoided visiting the city due to Coalition security concerns, according to the diplomat.
A spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office denied the trip was cancelled unexpectedly but declined to comment further, citing security reasons.
Islamic State propaganda agency Amaq on Thursday said the group detonated four improvised explsoive devices targeting security forces of the SDF in Raqqa, claiming the killing of at least 10 and wounding of several others.
On Tuesday, Amaq said ISIS fighters killed five members of the Kurdish-led security forces, including an Asayish police commander and his wife east of the city.
Earlier this month, the group said it was behind a pair of car bombs that killed and wounded dozens in Raqqa.
The group has also claimed credit for ongoing wildfires that have devastated agriculture across the northeast.
Asked about the possible causes of the increased attacks and the British delegation’s visit, a Coalition spokesperson told The Defense Post via email, “It would be inappropriate to speculate on this, questions regarding decisions of various nations are best addressed by those particular governments.”
Source: The Defense Post.