US soldiers stationed in Raqqa temporarily move to Hasaka. Their final destination should be the west of Iraq from which to continue the fight against Isis

New upheaval in the north east of Syria. The US military, stationed in Raqqa, left the city to temporarily move to Hasaka. Subsequently, they should go to the west of Iraq from where the operations against Isis will continue. There is talk of a thousand men, to which are added the means and the aircrafts. Regarding the transfer to the neighboring country, however, there is still nothing definitive. The situation is fluid and could change at any moment. The decision was taken following the agreement with Turkey for the 120-hour ceasefire, which will allow the SDF to evacuate the buffer zone of about 20 miles to the border between the two nations. Ankara, however, has already violated the truce already on some occasions with the air component and, perhaps, the terrestrial one. Indeed, it appears that the TAF have closed some evacuation routes for Kurdish forces.

The exit of American soldiers from Syria depends on two factors: the first is how Turkey will behave. The second is linked to the fact that Europe will get back, as promised, its foreign fighters of the Islamic State

The relocation of US soldiers from Syria to Western Iraq is subject to two elements: the first is that Turkey respects what is established and does not go beyond the buffer zone. The second, however, is that European countries respect the commitment announced in recent days to take back their foreign fighters, held in SDF prisons. Indeed, there is an urgent need for jihadists to leave the country. This is because of the real risk that the militants of the Islamic State will try to attack the camps to free their comrades. The Kurdish forces are not able to hold a double offensive for a long time and, consequently, there are fears that they will succeed in their intent. At that point, Daesh could count in the east of the country on a real army, with an enemy, however, far away and busy fighting against others.

The timing of the transfer of the US military was quantified in “weeks”. Meanwhile, Hasaka’s choice is not accidental. There is the largest SDF camp (Al-Hol) where about 12,000 Daesh militiamen and 80,000 members of their families are detained. The structure has long been at risk of IS attacks, but the arrival of soldiers changes the cards on the table

It is no coincidence that in Washington they talked about “weeks” and not days as a time needed to transfer US soldiers from Syria to Iraq. In fact, before carrying out “dangerous” movements, the military leaders of the International Coalition want to understand whether and with what frequency the foreign ISIS militiamen will be transferred to their countries of origin. The choice to direct from Raqqa to Hasaka was not accidental. This is because the city is located in a strategic position. It is close to the largest SDF camp, that of Al-Hol, where there are about 12,000 foreign fighters of the Islamic State and 80,000 members of their families. The security of the prison, moreover, has been recently threatened by several internal revolts and it has been reported by many that groups of Daesh militiamen are approaching it. The unexpected arrival of the American military, however, changes the games. At least for now.