Syria Kurds regain full control of Tel Abyad after Islamic State attack

Published by Ekurd Daily, July 1, 2015

BEIRUT,— Syrian Kurdish forces regained full control of Gire Spi (Tel Abyad) on Wednesday, expelling Islamic State group fighters who had seized a district of the strategic border town, a monitor said.

“Kurdish fighters expelled IS from the Mashur al-Fawqani district that they had captured yesterday (Tuesday),” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said at least three fighters of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and four IS jihadists were killed in clashes on Wednesday.

The Kurdish YPG militia said the IS militants entered Tel Abyad’s eastern periphery on Tuesday. Redur Xelil, the spokesman, said three Islamic State militants had been killed, while another had blown himself up with an explosive belt.

“The situation in Tel Abyad is over and under control,” he told Reuters. “They were preparing a big operation like Kobani.”

Tel Abyad, a town in Syrian Kurdistan, on the border with Turkey, was formerly an IS stronghold, which served as a key conduit for the group to bring in weapons and fighters, and export black market oil.

But just over two weeks ago, Kurdish forces, backed by Syrian rebel allies and US-led air strikes, seized the town from the IS extremist group.

IS forces launched a surprise attack against the town on Tuesday, overrunning the Mashur al-Fawqani district in heavy fighting.

But by late Wednesday morning, the town was back under full Kurdish control, the Observatory said.