U.S. to Begin ‘Direct Action’ on the Ground

The United States will begin “direct action on the ground” against forces connected to the self-declared Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said on Tuesday in testimony before the Senate Armed Services committee.

“We won’t hold back from supporting capable partners in opportunistic attacks against ISIS, or conducting such missions directly whether by strikes from the air or direct action on the ground,” Carter said, according to NBC News, giving the go-ahead for an increase in raids by U.S. special operations forces on the ground.

Last week, U.S. Special Forces assisted Kurdish troops in a rescue operation in northern Iraq to free hostages held by ISIS.

Shortly after last week’s operation, Carter said the military expects “more raids of this kind” and that American troops “will be in harm’s way, no question about it.”

Turkey Attacks Syrian Kurdish Militias

Turkey confirmed it struck Kurdish militia positions in Syria over the weekend, the New York Times reports.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu made the announcement to a Turkish news channel on Monday night. He did not specify when the strikes took place, but said they were related to Ankara’s warning to Kurdish militants not to move west of the Euphrates River.

Kurdish militias in Syria have long been one of the U.S.’s most trusted partners on the ground in the fight against ISIS. The strikes took place in the Arab border town of Tal Abyad, which Kurdish forces took from ISIS over the summer.

While the strikes were reportedly limited in nature – involving cross-border machine-gun fire and little damage – they come on the heels of last week’s announcement by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) declaring Tal Abyad part of a growing autonomous Kurdish area in northern Syria known as Rojava.

ISIS Cuts Assad Supply Line in Aleppo: Report

ISIS militants have reportedly severed a supply line vital to Syrian and Iranian troops loyal to beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad in the Aleppo area, anti-government activists told the Wall Street Journal.

The jihadist victory comes 10 days after forces loyal to Assad began a major ground offensive across Syria to retake territory lost to rebel groups over the past year.

Ground battles raged throughout Tuesday between pro-Assad forces and ISIS militants near the town of Safira, just 25km southeast of Aleppo. Some activists told the newspaper that ISIS had already managed to take control of the town.

The strategic town of Safira sits between government-controlled areas of Aleppo and the neighboring province of Hama, which in turn leads south to Damascus.

Militants connected with the Islamic State group heavily engaged in ground battles with government forces along several junctures of the north–south supply route.

Recommended Reads

• PBS Newshour: Frontline’s Visit to Assad’s Syria Reveals Surprising Contrasts
• Foreign Policy: Flurry of Diplomacy on Syria Yields No Results Yet Amid New Displacement
• CNN: Meet the Men Fighting ISIS With Hunting Rifles and Homemade Mortars
• The Guardian: Iran’s Invitation to Syria Talks Marks Significant Shift for U.S. and Allies
• The Washington Post: Iran Will Be Invited to Attend Multinational Meeting on Syria

Top image: Defense Secretary Ash Carter testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, October 27, 2015, before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Carter said on Tuesday that the U.S. is willing to step up unilateral attacks against Islamic State militants in Iraq or Syria, a signal that the U.S. would escalate American involvement beyond airstrikes by giving the go-ahead for U.S. special operations forces’ raids on the ground. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)