SYRIA (Country risk rating: Extreme); 23 September; US-led air strikes target militants in multiple locations Dozens of suspected militants and ten civilians were reportedly killed on 23 September in numerous locations in Syria, as the result of US-led air strikes. The strikes targeted locations including the cities of Ar-Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and al-Hasakah, west of Aleppo city in their respective eponymous governorates, as well as Abu Kamal, located in the Deir ez-Zor governorate. A number of other states are reported to have played a role in the air strikes, including Jordan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It is unclear what role the Syrian government played in the strikes, if any; however, US officials stated that Syrias envoy to the UN was informed of the offensive on 22 September. The air strikes form part of an international US-led coalitions efforts to weaken the capabilities of the Islamic State (IS). The group, whose operational centre is based in Ar-Raqqa, took control of large swathes of central and northern Iraq (excluding the Kurdistan Regional Government) from early to mid-June, using areas in Syria as cross-border hubs for their advance. The air strikes targeting these areas in Syria are likely to have weakened the IS to some extent, as they are believed to have targeted locations central to the groups operational and military capability, such as munitions stores and training facilities. The IS does not currently possess the military capability to respond to the air strikes; however, it is expected to call for retaliatory attacks against the coalition member states. The IS is also likely to attempt to cement its power in key areas already under its control, such as Ar-Raqqa. Further US-led strikes targeting militant positions in Syria are likely in the short-term at least.
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 12:28:50 +0000
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