Syria’s Kurdish patriotic defense committees released a statement on Sunday, announcing that they were able to push back al-Qaeda’s Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIS) as well as al-Nusra Front militants from seven villages in the region.
According to the statement they could also get some of the roads leading to these villages under their control.
Ras al-Ayn, located in northern province of Hasakah has been witnessing fierce clashes between al-Qaeda-linked groups and Kurdish fighters for months.
Kurdish regions have been administered by local Kurdish councils since President Bashar al-Assad's forces withdrew from the areas in mid-2012.
The redeployment was seen as a tactical move by the Syrian government, freeing up forces to battle militants elsewhere, and encouraging the Kurds to avoid allying with the opposition in order to maintain their new-found autonomy.
Since then, the Kurds have focused on maintaining security in Kurdish areas while strengthening control over their own affairs.
Kurds represent about 15 percent of the Syrian population.
The war in Syria started in March 2011, when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.
The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.
According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced due to the turmoil that has gripped Syria for over two years.
SHI/SHI