Tell Abyad offensive
The Tell Abyad offensive or Martyr Rubar Qamışlo operation was a military operation that began in late May 2015 in the northern Raqqa Governorate, during the Syrian Civil War. It was conducted by the Kurdish-majority People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Free Syrian Army (FSA)[1] against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. The offensive took place from the end of May until July 2015. The campaign was the second phase of the Kurdish Operation Commander Rûbar Qamishlo, which began with the Al-Hasakah offensive (May 2015), and involved the merger of the Kobanî offensive with the former. The focus of the campaign was to capture the key border town of Tell Abyad, and to link the Kobanî and Jazira Cantons in Northern Syria.
Strategic analysis[edit]
Tell Abyad has been described by the Washington Post as "one of the Islamic State's most strategically vital possessions", because of its border crossing with Turkey. Its fall would isolate the Islamic State's self-proclaimed capital in the city of Raqqa.[15] Seizing Tell Abyad would also help the YPG to link up the Kurdish-controlled areas of northern Syria.[32] It has been argued that the successful battle, mixing coalition air power and militia fighters could be a "blueprint for success," but is difficult to repeat in other areas.[80]
United States – The U.S. expressed their concern, through State Department spokesman Jeff Rathke, about the human rights records of Syrian Kurdish fighters during the offensive, which displaced thousands of Arabs and Turkmen.
