Kurds expel radical militants from ancient town in Syria

Kurds expel radical militants from ancient town in Syria
Mon Feb 24, 2014 16:02:16

Syrian Kurdish fighters have pushed radical militants out of the ancient town of Tell Brak in northern Syria, after three days of constant fighting.

According to reports, Kurdish fighters from the Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG) expelled all elements of al-Qaeda’s al-Nusra Front, former al-Qaeda representative Syria, the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, as well as militants from the Ahrar al-Sham armed group.

Tell Brak is a settlement mound in the Upper Khabur area in Al-Hasakah Governorate, northeastern Syria.

Fighting in the area started on Friday after Kurdish fighters attacked militant bases in the town.

Capture of Tell Brak, located along a highway between the cities of Hasaka and Qamishli, by Kurdish fighters, is considered to be a significant advancement in securing the northern parts in face of foreign-backed militants’ threat.

Xeidour Khalil, a press spokesman for the YPG was quoted by the Lebanese al-Akhbar newspaper as saying that, “our forces were able to kill 50 extremist elements and arrest 42 of them”.

Three YPC fighters were also killed in the fighting, according to Khalil.

He added, “Mop up operations and search for the militants is still underway both inside and around the town, and this operation will continue until their threat is eliminated”.

The conflict 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.

SHI/SHI

string(1037) "[{"id":"1534537","sort":"3171532","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/11/15/alalam_635201127959516627_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Barzani criticizes Kurdish autonomy declaration in Syria"} ,{"id":"1541842","sort":"3171533","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/12/06/alalam_635219190160748054_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Al-Qaeda militants kidnap 51 Kurds in Syria"} ,{"id":"1541939","sort":"3171534","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/12/06/alalam_635219438299022514_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Turkey submits pro-Kurdish reforms to parliament"} ,{"id":"1544278","sort":"3171535","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/12/14/alalam_635226081618136548_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"120 Kurds abducted in Aleppo by Syria insurgents"} ,{"id":"1547343","sort":"3171536","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2013/12/23/alalam_635233823854696173_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Kurdish protesters attacked by Turkey Police"} ,{"id":"1557731","sort":"3171537","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2014/01/22/alalam_635259737295712636_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Syria Kurds declare autonomy ahead of Geneva II"} ]"