Syrian army in race with U.S.-armed fighters for East
BEIRUT — U.S.-backed Syrian fighters launched an offensive against the Islamic State group in eastern Syria along the border with Iraq on Saturday, bringing them into a race with government forces marching in the same direction against the extremists in their last major holdout in the war-torn country.
The dueling battles for Deir el-Zour highlight the importance of the oil-rich eastern province, which has become the latest focus of the international war against the Islamic State group, raising concerns of an eventual clash between the two sides.
The U.S.-trained Deir el-Zour Military Council said it was calling its operation Jazeera Storm, after the familiar name for northeast Syria. The Military Council is a part of the predominantly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, which enjoys broad U.S. military support. The SDF are the U.S.’s primary ally in the fight against IS in Syria.
The race to reach the Iraqi border will shape future regional dynamics, determining whether the United States or Russia and Iran will have more influence in the strategic area once the extremist group is defeated.
Iran has been one of President Bashar Assad’s strongest backers since the crisis began in March 2011 and has sent thousands of Iranian-backed fighters and advisers to fight against insurgent groups trying to remove him from power.
The U.S.-backed fighters are up against a huge challenge to reach Deir el-Zour, especially while they are still fighting to liberate Raqqa from IS. Three months into the battle, they have liberated around 60 percent of the city, and much more difficult urban fighting still lies ahead.
This week, Syrian troops and their Iranian-backed allies reached Deir el-Zour, breaking a nearly three-year-old IS siege on government-held parts of the city in a major breakthrough in their offensive against IS. In a victory statement, the Syrian military said Deir el-Zour will be used as a launching pad to liberate the remaining IS-held areas along the border with Iraq.
Pro-government forces broke the siege of the city’s airport on Saturday, state media reported.
The troops’ arrival to Deir el-Zour city brings Syrian forces and their allies a step closer to controlling the oil-rich eastern province and its capital bordering Iraq, a major boost for Tehran’s growing influence in the area. The region has some of Syria’s largest oil fields, the revenue from which is vital to the state’s empty coffers.
Syria’s military command announced Saturday it had captured the province’s Taym oil field from IS militants.
Washington has been determined to block the formation of an “Iranian corridor” — of Shiitecontrolled land stretching from Tehran to Damascus — and for months has been eyeing the area southeast of Raqqa near the Iraqi border.