Iraq

In the “pocket” along the Euphrates Valley, ISIS operatives halted the SDF forces and regained control of two villages in the southern part of their control area. In the city of Manbij and its environs there has been no change on the ground. In the Idlib area, clashes continued between the Syrian army and the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham and other jihadi organizations. In the United States, there is a debate about the severity of the threat posed by ISIS (in the ITIC’s assessment, the reason for the debate is the assessment that the campaign against ISIS in the enclave along the Euphrates River may end within a few weeks Read more...

The ISIS-controlled enclave on the east bank of the Euphrates River continues to shrink. In the city of Manbij and its environs, there has been no significant change on the ground. In the Idlib area, the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham continues to establish its control, mainly at the expense of the Turkish-affiliated rebel organizations. The main event in ISIS’s provinces abroad this week was a multi-casualty attack during a ceremony in a cathedral on the island of Sulu in the southern Philippines. Read more...

The ISIS-controlled enclave on the east bank of the Euphrates River continues to shrink. The US and Kurdish forces have not yet completed their evacuation from the city of Manbij. In the Idlib area, the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham continues to consolidate its control, while weakening the Turkish-sponsored rebel organizations. Turkish President Erdoğan continues to threaten to carry out a military operation against the Kurds east of the Euphrates River Read more...