ISIS Advances Into Mare’ As YPG Prepares To Take Jarabulus

ISIS is advancing into the town of Mare’ as its fight with al-Nusra and its allies to control Northeastern Syria is intensifying, reports an article from DİHA carried in Özgür Gündem.

Meanwhile to the East the YPG and its allies in the predominantly Burkan al-Firat are preparing to cross the Euphrates in an effort to drive ISIS from around Jarabulus and Minbic and eventually the whole of Northern Syria along the Turkish border.

Mare’ is a strategically important town lying between Aleppo and Azaz. It is also located within the area Turkey plans to establish its buffer-zone to prevent the YPG from connecting the Efrîn and Kobanê cantons of Rojava. Turkey is widely said to be supporting groups such as al-Nusra, Ahrar ash-Sham, as well as local Turkmen militias in an effort to keep the YPG out of the area.

ISIS began moving into Mare’ from the north. It also attacked in the nearby village of Keferî El-Bedîn, currently under the control of al-Nusra, launching a bombing attack that killed many al-Nusra fighters.

Hundreds of people have been forced to flee the area around Mare’ ahead of the ISIS advance.

The capture of Mare’ by ISIS would mean that the group would only be 15 km from the Efrîn canton.