Kurdish Forces and Their Allies Closing in on Rebel-Held Aleppo

YPG forces prepare for further assaults on al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels in Aleppo, Syria.

After launching a powerful assault on Tuesday morning to liberate several sites from extremist rebels, the Kurdish Yekîneyên Parastina Gel (YPG, People’s Protection Units) and Jaysh al-Thuwar (SDF, The Revolutionary Army)—a mixed ethnic militia of Arabs, Kurds, and Turkmen—are advancing on the provincialcapital of the Aleppo governorate. In addition to their advance inside Aleppo, the YPG and SDF have imposed fire control over the Castillo roundabout, effectively cutting off the rebel supply route from the provincial capital to the northern Aleppo front. Nor do the YPG and SDF appear to be finished, as reports indicate they are preparing another significant assault on the al-Qaeda-affiliated rebels’ defenses near the strategic border city of Azaz. Should this prove to be the case, the YPG and SDF can surely expect to receive shelling from the Turkish military, which continues, contrary to public statements, to give succor to the rebel forces.