In late June of 2015, the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) launched its largest offensive in Syria; however, this time, the target was the Syrian Arab Army controlled section of the provincial capital of Al-Hasakah – a city they have failed to reenter after numerous infiltration attempts this year.
Finally, after thirty days of hell for the residents of Al-Hasakah City, the Syrian Arab Army’s joint forces from the 104th Airnorne Brigade of the Republican Guard, the 154th Brigade of the 4th Mechanized Division, and the 123rd Brigade of the 3rd Armored Division – alongside the Shaytat tribesmen from Deir Ezzor, the Gozarto Protection Forces (Assyrian militia) and the National Defense Forces (NDF) – cleared the entire southern and western sectors of the provincial capital.
While the Syrian Armed Forces cleared out the southern and western sectors of Al-Hasakah City, the predominately Kurdish “People’s Protection Units” (YPG) would encircle the entire countryside surrounding the provincial capital, leaving ISIS trapped inside the city with limited provisions to maintain their offensive.
Two weeks after they launched their offensive, ISIS fell under a reverse siege from the Syrian Armed Forces and YPG (both independent of one another) that would eventually end with the terrorist group conceding all of its captured territory to the opposing parties.
According to a military source in Al-Hasakah, the Syrian Armed Forces and YPG are currently negotiating contested sections of the provincial capital; this has so far resulted in the Hope School being recently handed over to the YPG.
