US and Russian officials have addressed the rising tensions in Syria, as the war enters a critical new phase. Washington and Moscow-backed military groups are both set on securing the oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour.
Image: Reuters/R. Said
Advertisement
Russian military officials issued a blunt warning to the US on Thursday, saying they would target American special forces and US-backed militia groups in Syria if their own forces came under fire from them.
"A representative of the US military command in Al Udeid (the US command center in Qatar) was told in no uncertain terms that any attempts to open fire from areas where Syrian Democratic Forces are located would be quickly shut down," Major-General Igor Konashenkov wrote in a statement.
The SDF, or Syrian Democratic Forces, refers to an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias combating the so-called "Islamic State" (IS) group in Syria as part of the US-led coalition.
Konashenkov's warning came after US and Russian military officials held unprecedented face-to-face talks in Syria to address the heightened tensions around the oil-rich province of Deir el-Zour, where both US and Russian-backed forces are fighting to capture one of the last remaining IS strongholds.
Syrian government forces, backed by Moscow, are desperate to claim the province and use its natural resources to help rebuild the economy as the six year civil war slowly begins to unwind.
However, most militiamen fighting for the US-backed SDF forces are from the province and do not want to see Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime restore his claim to the region. Many Kurdish fighters want the region to be part of their own autonomous zone in a federated Syrian republic.
A series of provocations
Konashenkov claimed in his statement that his forces had recently come under fire twice from US-backed troops in as many days, prompting the warning of future retaliation.
However, Ahmad Abu Khawla, the commanding officer of SDF forces in Deir el-Zour, denied ever targeting pro-government forces. "We are far from them, Daesh is between us," he said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. "We didn't fire a single bullet toward the regime" forces.
IS has been fighting a losing ,two-front battle in Deir el-Zour against both the SDF and Syrian government forces, as it tries to defend one of its last strongholds.
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
10 images1 | 10
The Syrian army's advances on Deir el-Zour have seen it capture around 100 kilometers of the west bank of the Euphrates so far this month, while the SDF's advances have been mainly on the eastern bank of the river.
The two sides have generally avoided conflict since the outbreak of the war, with Assad initially concentrating efforts on defeating a revolt against his family's 40 year rule over Syria, before focusing on wiping out IS.
That balance had held before the two sides reached Deir el-Zour, where conflicting interests have become apparent.
Space for further US-Russia cooperation?
Despite the heightened tensions, Thursday's meeting also suggested that the US and Russia could be seeking to coordinate their efforts in Syria.
Speaking to Pentagon reporters, on Thursday, Army Colonel Ryan Dillon said that US and Russian forces had shared maps, graphics and information over where their respective forces were fighting around Deir el-Zour.
Asked about alleged turbulence between the US and Russia, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told reporters: "I am not worried, we continue to deal with the Russians in a collaborative way, we'll sort this out."
