A new report from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says that 170 ISIS fighters have been killed in the last 48 hours in Syria’s northeastern Hasakeh Province, in a flurry of airstrikes by the US-led coalition.
Hasakeh is mostly under the control of the Kurdish YPG, and ISIS has been keen to advance there from their surrounding strongholds in recent weeks. The airstrikes appear to be directly supporting the Kurds.
The Pentagon’s latest statement on strikes claimed only seven sorties around Hasakeh, saying they destroyed four ISIS units, seven vehicles, two armored vehicles, and a shipping container.
Pentagon officials say they’re committed to targeting ISIS everywhere across Iraq and Syria, but if the toll is confirmed this would be one of the most significant localized operations since the defense of Kobani, another Syrian Kurdish stronghold.