Turkey is threatening to eradicate the People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia in Syria. But such a move would put it on a collision course with the United States, which backs the Syrian Kurdish group as a key ally in the war against Islamic State and curtailing Iran’s influence, like reported by voanews.com.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey’s army will sweep the YPG from its border.

Ankara claims the militia is linked to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, (PKK), which is waging a decades-long insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in Turkey.

In an address to parliament last week, Erdogan vowed the destruction of the YPG, and slammed Washington for its armed support of the group.

“The United States has sent nearly 19,000 trucks [loaded with arms] to the YPG and PYD [Democratic Union Party] in northern Syria,” Erdogan said. “Who will they use these arms against? We demanded to buy weapons from you, and you rejected [that]. However, you are giving those arms to terrorist groups.”

The YPG, with U.S. military backing, seized control of a broad swath of Syrian territory that runs east of Syria’s Euphrates River to the Iraqi frontier. The region borders Turkey, and Ankara claims YPG control of this territory is an intolerable security threat.

Turkey’s forces have been steadily building up a presence close to strategic YPG towns. Its hardening rhetoric coincides with the U.S. indicating it will remain in Syria after IS is defeated.

“We’re not going to leave as long as Iranian troops are outside Iranian borders, and that includes Iranian proxies and militias,” White House National Security Advisor John Bolton said at last month’s U.N. General Assembly.

Former senior Turkish diplomat Aydin Selcen, who served in Washington and in the region, said he believes the YPG has become key to U.S. objectives in the area.

“Now, the U.S.’ main struggle in the region is with Iran,” Selcen said. “And this particular triangle region to the east of the Euphrates is of high importance when it comes to stopping Iranian presence in the Middle East. I don’t see how the U.S. can do anything about the YPG presence east of the Euphrates near the Turkish border.”

He added that pushing the militia away from the Turkish border also is not viable.

“All the towns [under YPG control] are aligned along the Turkish border,” he said “So you cannot ask the YPG to leave those towns, as they will have to go to the desert areas, which is not feasible.”

Iran and Russia have been quick to exploit the apparent standoff between Turkey and the U.S.

Last month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, “The main danger to Syria’s territorial integrity originates from the eastern bank of the Euphrates, where independent and autonomous structures are created under the direct control of the United States.”

Analysts say Iran and Russia share Turkey’s concern over U.S. backing of the YPG. And they suggest a decision by the group’s political wing, the PYD, earlier this month to end talks with Damascus likely was influenced by Washington’s renewed commitment to remain in Syria.

While backing rival sides in the Syrian civil war, Turkey has found common ground with Iran and Russia to resolve the conflict. At the same time, Moscow and Tehran are widely seen to be using that cooperation to try and draw Ankara away from Washington.

Turkey already controls a large swath of Syrian territory from previous military operations against the YPG. But analysts suggest the Syrian government, Iran and Russia would likely hesitate to support the Turkish army further extending its control of Syria, even if it meant ousting U.S. forces.

Saber rattling

Despite Turkey’s heightened rhetoric and military presence on the Syria border, there is a suspicion it remains just saber rattling.

“There was an increase in forces from the Turkish side near Tel Abyad [a YPG-controlled Syrian town] and what Mr. Erdogan said any military operation could be imminent in the east of the Euphrates,” Selcen said. “To me, this was not very probable because it would bring two NATO members — Turkey and the U.S. — face to face in Syria.”

The threat of military action could be just leverage on the U.S., sharply criticized by Turkey for its slow response to enforcing an agreed road map for the YPG to withdraw from the strategic Syrian city of Manbij.

“Manbij remains an open wound in Turkish-U.S. relations,” said international relations expert Soli Ozel of Istanbul’s Kadir Has University. “The previous U.S. administration promised Ankara YPG forces would leave the city after its capture from Islamic State, a commitment it failed to honor.”

In a move that could dial down tensions, Turkey’s Defense Minister Hulusi Akar announced this week that joint patrols by Turkish and U.S. forces would start in Manbij. Erdogan had accused Washington of foot-dragging in honoring a commitment to begin the patrols,seen by Turkey as an essential step toward removing the YPG from Manbij.

Despite Turkey’s fiery rhetoric, analysts say cooperation with the U.S. is continuing in Syria, and as a senior Western diplomat pointed out, Turkey continues to accommodate U.S. forces’ heavy reliance on its critical Incirlik airbase for Syrian operations.

At least five US-backed forces were killed by an improvised explosive device in the eastern province of Raqqa, activists said to syrianobserver.com.

The Islamic State (ISIS) claimed the responsibility for attack that rocked a bus carrying members in the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the western countryside of Raqqa.

Aamaq, the ISIS news agency, said the attack left 10 SDF fighters dead.

At least 30 SDF fighters were killed in ISIS attacks on their checkpoints in two weeks. The SDF has also killed at least 40 ISIS militants.

On Friday, ISIS militants launched counter attack on the Kurdish-led forces in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, killing 8 fighters.

The surprise attack began with a car bomb near the town of al-Hajeen. Three fighters from the SDF were held captive, according to Deir ez-Zor-based media activist, Taj al-Allow.

Since Tuesday, clashes have intensified between the SDF and ISIS as the YPG-led fighters press to uproot the militants from their last pockets near the Iraqi border.

They are fighting near the strategic Bagouz area, a key ISIS stronghold on the eastern bank of Euphrates River.

The SDF seized control of the villages of al-Shajlah and Mouzan near the embattled village of Bagouz.

On Wednesday, two US Army soldiers were killed along with SDF forces in a car bomb attack in the town of Granij.

The ISIS car bomb rocked a joint military patrol, al-Allow said.

Three civilians were also killed in an ISIS rocket attack on the SDF-held town of al-Ja’abi.

The Kurdish-led forces have been among the most effective in the fight against ISIS in Syria, forcing them out of much of the country’s east.

Despite losing most of the territory it held between Iraq and Syria since its peak in 2014, ISIS remains a disruptive force in both countries.

After the forces of Bashar Al-Assad and his allies took control of several areas in Deir ez-Zor province, Iran has attempted to strengthen its military and religious presence in the area, like reported by uawire.org.

However, according to the Euphrates Post which reports on the developments in the area, pro-Iranian militias withdrew from their bases in the cities of Mayadin and Abu Kamal while Russian troops have moved in these areas. Euphrates Post reports that the Russian military arrived on Saturday along with their special forces units and anti-aircraft defense systems.

The newspaper states, citing its sources, that the Russian military intend to deploy S-300 air-defense systems in the area.

Earlier, the Iranian forces withdrew from the Tiyas (T4) military airbase which was their main stronghold.

Iran has been trying to avoid Israeli air strikes on its troops by relying heavily on local militias and setting up its military headquarters alongside the command posts of Russian troops.

Satellite imagery of Iranian facility in the city of Baniyas showed that it was built near a battery of the Russian S-300 missile systems.

On October 2, Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian completed the delivery of S-300 missile systems to Syria.

Moscow decided to deliver the S-300 anti-aircraft missile to the war-struck region after a Russian military airplane was shot down in Syria. The Kremlin accused the Israeli military of provocation, which resulted in the destruction of the Russian aircraft.

Israeli authorities expressed condolence over the death of 15 Russian soldiers and blamed the Syrian military forces for the incident. In addition, Jerusalem assured that it will continue bombing the Iranian armed forces located near the Israeli border in Syria.

Aerial bombardments by British forces have destroyed a significant number of Islamic State terror group command posts, tunnel networks and weapons in Syria, like reported by belfasttelegraph.co.uk.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was the UK’s busiest month over Syria since February, hitting targets of IS, also known as Daesh, at a rate of more than one per day.

RAF Tornados and Reapers have continued to support the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Iraqi Security Forces as they attack the last remaining pockets of IS in both countries.

One of the airstrikes on September 12 involved an RAF Reaper aircraft supporting the SDF to mount an offensive towards Abu Kamal, at the southern end of a significant remaining area of IS-held territory in eastern Syria.

IS fighters were seen throwing grenades and firing a machine-gun before the Reaper crew were able to guide a missile to accurately strike them.

Three attacks were carried out on one day on September 23, with a strike on the upper floor of a three-storey building and a further two strikes on two separate buildings, all near Abu Kamal.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “The fight against Daesh is by no means over and we must continue to stand up for our people and our partners, to ensure their abhorrent and poisonous ideology does not spread to our streets.

“So long as they pose a clear and immediate threat to our national and international security, we will work tirelessly to stamp them out.

“We will not ease off and allow them to reorganise, as this month’s operations show.”

Clashes intensified between the US-backed forces and Daesh (ISIS) in eastern Deir Ezzor province as the Kurdish-led fighters press to uproot the militants from their last pockets near the Iraqi border, local activists said according to zamanalwsl.net.

The fighting took place in the village of al-Safafneh near the strategic Bagouz area, key Daesh stronghold in the eastern bank of Euphrates River.

The SDF seized control of al-Shajlah village last week and half of the village of Bagouz.

The Kurdish-led forces have been among the most effective in the fight against Daesh in Syria, forcing them out of much of the country’s east.

At least 16 SDF fighters were killed in Daesh attacks on their checkpoints in eastern Deir Ezzor province in two weeks. In its turn, the SDF has killed at least 40 Daesh militants.

Despite losing most of the territory it held between Iraq and Syria since its peak in 2014, Daesh remains a disruptive force in both countries. Its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, urged his followers to “persevere” in an audiotape attributed to him last month.

Daesh territory came also under missile attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on Monday who  struck  its headquarters in retaliation for an attack that killed 24 people in the Iranian city of Ahvaz.

The Guards released pictures of what appeared to be missiles lighting up the night sky, leaving trails of smoke as they soared above a desert region with a rugged mountain in the background.

The missiles hit the desert border town of Albu Kamal on the west of the Euphrates River, east of Deir Ezzor.

Artillery and Close Air Support (CAS) units are using a mobile application called Tactical NAV to deliver munitions on known ISIS targets in Syria and Iraq to protect local civilians and save U.S. military lives. And it’s all being conducted using the power of a smartphone, like reported by prweb.com.

The mobile application openly available on Apple’s App Store is being used by U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq to conduct both field artillery and close air support operations against ISIS combatants with resounding success.

The application is called Tactical NAV, and it’s available on the iTunes App Store, and was created by a former U.S. Army captain who used his own life savings to build a low cost and accurate software solution to provide Soldiers and military service members the tools needed to help accomplish their mission at home and abroad, and also protect and save U.S. military lives in the combat environment.

“Tactical NAV simply works. Over 100,000 military warfighters are using the app today, and it’s extremely accurate and effective. I’m humbled and grateful that my fellow warfighters are trusting the app and that it’s potentially saving our Soldiers’ lives,” said Jonathan J. Springer, Tactical NAV’s creator.

Taken from an email Springer received from a Soldier based in Syria, it states, “I love this app [Tactical NAV] — we all do. We were able to shoot with our M109A6 Paladin using Tactical NAV, and the results were steel on steel. The app is accurate to within 1 meter, all verified by Army survey. Thanks for what you’re doing Jonathan, this thing is a lifesaver,” said the Soldier, whose name is being withheld for operational security measures.

“Since day one, I have always believed the military could utilize smartphones for operational purposes,” said Springer. “I always saw mobile devices as a combat multiplier that could potentially assist military service members during combat operations, and in turn, possibly save their lives in the process.”

He goes on to say, “Why not use what is at our fingertips to operate more efficiently as a military force,” said Springer. “The potential for saving lives using something as cost-effective as an app like Tactical NAV just makes sense.”

Tactical NAV is currently available on the App Store and will soon be available on Google Play. The app assists military service members and first responders with mapping, plotting, and sharing waypoints and location information, along with building overlays and synchronizing assets with other users on the battlefield.

The application is a military-quality software solution that meets the World Geodetic System 1984 standard (WGS 84) and has been tested on various combat missions to ensure the utmost accuracy and reliability that a military-oriented app can, and should, provide.

“Tactical NAV is just as accurate as anything the Pentagon has in their arsenal today. And it does many of the same functions that the Department of Defense spends millions of dollars on — all at a fraction of the cost. And it’s all about protecting the warfighter because when it comes down to it, that’s what it’s all about,” Springer said.

The Arab coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen announced on Sunday the foiling of a terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militias against Saudi Arabia’s Port of Jizan, like reported by aawsat.com.

Coalition spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that the Royal Saudi Navy Forces detected the movement of two remote controlled explosive boats headed towards the port.

They were intercepted and destroyed in accordance with the Rules of Engagement, which has led to minimal damage, he added.

He stressed: “The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition will strike with an iron fist all those who get involved with acts of terrorism, which threaten the safety of Saudi nationals, residents, economy and critical facilities.”

“Those hostile acts will not go by without holding the ones executing, plotting and planning them accountable for their actions,” he vowed.

The Iraqi Federal Police have announced killing 18 Islamic State members in an operation, east of Nineveh, like reported by iraqinews.com.

A statement by the command, issued on Thursday, said troops “carried out an operation in Qurret Goukh mountains in search for remnants of Islamic State.”

The operation, according to the statement, “left 18 militants killed and explosives seized.”

Last week, eight Islamic State members were arrested in districts of al-Zahraa, Sumar and al-Qadisiya, west of Mosul. Four soldiers of the Iraqi army were killed in confrontations with Islamic State members, northwest of Mosul. Moreover, bodies of three people were found inside a house in Mosul’s Old city, one week after being kidnapped.

Thousands of Islamic State militants as well as Iraqi civilians were killed since the government campaign, backed by paramilitary troops and the coalition was launched in October 2016.

In December, the Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced gaining control on all the territories that were captured by Islamic State, since 2014.

Islamic State continues to launch sporadic attacks across Iraq against troops. Security reports indicate that the militant group still poses threat against stability in the country. The group still has dormant cells, through which it carries out attacks, across Iraq like it used to do before 2014.

Hundreds of fighters from the Daesh group arrived on the outskirts of Syria’s last major rebel bastion of Idlib under a regime transfer from the east of the country, a monitor said according to jordantimes.com.

The militants were ferried overnight from the eastern province of Deir Ezzor near the Iraqi border, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

“Regime forces transported more than 400 Daesh fighters late Sunday from the desert near the town of Albu Kamal,” the Britain-based monitor said.

They arrived in the eastern countryside of the north-western province of Idlib at dawn on Monday, near areas where other jihadist groups are present, it said.

“Until now, we haven’t got precise information on whether or not they have entered these areas,” observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said on Monday evening.

A deal last week between regime ally Moscow and rebel backer Ankara has temporarily averted a regime offensive on the militant and rebel-held Idlib region on the border with Turkey.

More than half of the region is controlled by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an alliance led by Al Qaeda’s former Syria affiliate, while most of the rest is under the control of Turkey-backed rebels.

But other militants groups are also present in Idlib, including the Al Qaeda-linked Hurras Al Deen extremist group.

Similar transfers of Daesh fighters have occurred in recent years.

In May, President Bashar Assad’s regime bussed 1,600 people — Daesh fighters and their relatives — out of a southern Damascus suburb and into the vast Badiya desert sweeping across the country to the Iraqi border.

The transfers saw the government retake control of Yarmuk, a Palestinian refugee camp turned bustling neighbourhood before the seven-year civil war, after weeks of fighting to expel the militants.

In August 2017, hundreds of Daesh fighters were evacuated from a Syrian-Lebanese border region to Deir Ezzor, according to the Lebanese Shiite movement Hizbollah, which fights alongside Assad’s troops in Syria.

Daesh swept across vast parts of Syria and neighbouring Iraq in 2014, declaring a “caliphate” in areas it controlled.

But the extremist group has since lost most of that territory to various offensives in both countries.

In Syria, Daesh clings on to a small pocket in Deir Ezzor, where it is under attack by US-backed forces. The Russia-backed regime has also fought it in the Badiya Desert.

Several fighters followed to the Iraqi Hezbullah militias were reportedly killed and others injured on late Monday following an attack by ISIS that targeted military positions in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, like reported by qasioun-news.com.

Media sources reporting from Deir Ezzor said that ISIS conducted an attack with a VBIED and targeted a gathering point for Iraqi Hezbullah militias, which led to casualties among their fighters and destroyed other military vehicles.

Moreover, clashes were reported between ISIS and Syrian regime forces near Kashme village followed to Hajin district eastern Deir Ezzor.

Hezbullah in Iraq is considered as a major armed group and close to Iran, it fought among the Popular mobilization forces militias against ISIS and accused for committing massacres against civilians, also it is fighting in Syria near the Syrian regime front-lines.