Roundup: IS suffers near-collapse in Syria's Aleppo countryside

The Islamic State (IS) group is falling apart in the eastern countryside of Aleppo province in northern Syria due to two main factors.

SYRIAN ARMY PROGRESS

The Syrian forces have made sweeping progress against the IS in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, stripping the terror group of over 600 aquare kilometers of territory within a week of battles, state news agency SANA said.

The Syrian army advanced against IS till reaching areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), mainly the city of Manbej in eastern Aleppo countryside amid reports that IS has withdrawn from 23 towns east of the city of al-Bab in the northern countryside of Aleppo, a sign of the big collapse the group has suffered.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said Monday the Syrian army's progress in eastern Aleppo reached areas close to the SDF-controlled areas as well as areas under the control of Turkey-backed rebels, drawing thus borders between its forces and the Kurdish-led groups as well as the Turkish-backed ones.

A day earlier, the Syrian army captured the key town of Tadef, south of the al-Bab city, which has recently been captured by the Turkish-backed rebels of the Euphrates Shield.

The Observatory said that there are "Russian orders for the Syrian army and allied fighters not to engage in battles with the Turkish-backed rebels."

It said that the Syrian forces backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah group moved, after taking Tadef, toward the town of Khafseh at the western bank of the Euphrates River, as the town contains the main water pumping station to Aleppo city.

The battles are still 21 kilometers from the town, which is controlled by IS.

The Observatory, which says it relies on a network of activists on ground, said the fresh progress of the Syrian army will besiege 13 villages controlled by IS in eastern Aleppo, and may force the terror-designated militants to withdraw before the siege.

The siege will be imposed by the Syrian army, the SDF, and the Turkish forces, the three are fighting against IS in the northeastern and southeastern countrysides of Aleppo.

Meanwhile, pan-Arab al-Mayadeen TV said the Syrian army captured on Monday the towns of Jub Khafi, Jub al-Sultan, Jub al-Hamam, and Zarura east of al-Bab, adding that with this progress the army succeeded to link areas under its control with that of the SDF and open a road linking the northeastern province of al-Hasakah, with the northern and western countryside of al-Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS.

The road will also link the eastern countryside of Aleppo with other provinces all the way to the capital Damascus.

TURKISH-BACKED REBELS PROGRESS

What also led to the near collapse of the IS in the eastern countryside of Aleppo is the wide-scale offensive the Turkish forces and allied rebels unleashed, which resulted recently in stripping IS of the city of al-Bab, which was the largest IS stronghold near the Turkish borders.

On Feb. 23, the IS group announced its withdrawal from al-Bab, which has been taken by the Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels on Thursday.

The withdrawal of the IS from al-Bab came after 100 days of battles against the Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels.

The IS claimed it had killed 400 Turkish soldiers and rebel fighters.

For the Turks, capturing the northern part of the city cuts the way in the face of the growing Kurdish influence in northern Syria, a red line drawn by Turkey, and secure the borders from IS infiltration.

The Syrian army also succeeded recently to besiege al-Bab from its southern edge, a move to prevent IS fighters to withdraw toward other stronghold in the eastern province of Deir al-Zour, or the northern city of al-Raqqa.

WHAT'S AFTER IS?

While IS seems like a mutual target for the Turkish forces, the Syrian army and the Kurdish-led ones, but a question is often asked what will happen when IS is completely defeated in Aleppo's eastern countryside.

Observers believe that there is a tacit Russian-Turkish agreement not to clash in Aleppo countryside, but that doesn't mean that tension doesn't exist.

On Sunday, after the army captured Tadef, activists, including the Observatory, said skirmishes took place between the Turkish-backed rebels and the Syrian army near the town.

The clashes seemed to have stopped.

The Syrian government has intensified its anti-Turkey statement, accusing Ankara of working to build a wall on the Syrian side of the borders.

The wall could be a prelude to creating safe zones, Ankara has recently been floating.

Turkish media said that Turkey has erected 290 kilometers of a planned 511-kilometer "security wall" along its border with war-torn Syria.

Aside from the Syrian-Turkish tension, the Kurdish groups have high tension with the Turkish-led ones.

Last months, several battles took place between them in Aleppo countryside.

Turkey wants its rebels to have the upper hand, while the Kurdish-led ones are bragging the fresh U.S. support, as they have received new weaponry from the United States.

While the Syrian army hasn't clashed with the SDF, the possibility of such confrontation is also on the table. It all awaits the complete defeat of IS before the three parties could begin another showdown against one another, analysts say. Endit