Date: Nov 12, 2018 Source: The Daily Star SDF resumes offensive in eastern Syria BEIRUT: The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said Sunday that it was resuming its offensive against Daesh (ISIS) in eastern Syria. “The SDF general command saw the need to continue its operations and fulfill the final defeat of Daesh,” the SDF said in an online statement. It said the decision to resume operations in Deir al-Zor province followed “intensive diplomatic efforts” with the international coalition to defuse tensions along the border with Turkey. The SDF, spearheaded by the Kurdish-majority People’s Protections Units (YPG), announced that it was suspending its operations on Oct. 31 after Turkish shelling killed four of its fighters. Sunday’s statement added that while SDF forces remained determined to defeat the Daesh militants, “it also emphasizes its determination to protect the international northern borders of Syria.” The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday that SDF reinforcements had been sent to the northern border of Syria. The SDF launched its offensive on the Daesh enclave around the town of Hajin, the group’s last remaining pocket of control in Syria, on Sept. 10. However, it suffered a major setback last month after a sandstorm allowed the militants to launch a series of counterattacks. Last month, the Turkish military initiated near daily shelling on Kurdish border towns that the SDF says allowed Daesh to further press several counteroffensives against the group. Despite the cessation of ground operations, the U.S.-led coalition continued to launch airstrikes against the militants. The SDF said its fighters also recently captured a senior Daesh commander in the northern city of Raqqa which, until last year, was the extremists’ de facto capital. “This shows that the organization still has roots and sleeper cells in liberated areas,” the statement said. The U.S. support to the Kurds has increased tensions with NATO-ally Turkey, which views the YPG as a “terrorist” force and an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Turkey. The Turkish government has long opposed the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish area in northeastern Syria, fearing it could embolden separatists at home.