Government warplanes have bombed Kurdish-held areas in the city of Hasaka in north-east Syria for the first time in the five-year civil war, according to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia and a monitoring group. Government forces were also bombarding Kurdish districts of Hasaka with artillery, and there were fierce clashes in the city. The fighting marks the most significant violence between the YPG and government forces since several days of fighting in Qamishli in April. Syria’s complex war has created a patchwork of areas controlled by the government, rebels, Kurdish forces or Isis. The YPG makes up a significant proportion of the US-backed Syria Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish and Arab alliance fighting Isis insurgents in Syria.

Source: The Guardian August 18, 2016 16:41 UTC