ISIS has continued to resist a US-backed offensive by the Kurdish YPG, and has proven able to counter-attack against them when the opportunity presents itself. On Sunday, this meant a surprise attack that killed 12 and wounded 20 Kurds.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, ISIS used a suicide car bomb to start the attack, a tactic they’ve been known to favor in the past. After that, fighters ran out and started shooting, inflicting heavy casualties.
Details are still emerging on what exactly happened, and some Kurdish officials denied that any fighting had happened at all, or later saying that no one was killed. In general, Kurdish officials have sought to downplay the casualties they’ve sustained, while the US has sought to emphasize the death toll among ISIS fighters.
Either way, the push is likely winding down, with ISIS retaining control of three towns in the area near Iraq’s border. Turkey is invading Syrian Kurdish territory, and the YPG is forced to withdraw many of its fighters to defend against that oft-threatened incursion. That seems set to derail any anti-ISIS push for the time being.