Kurdish militia sits north of Islamic State capital, awaiting Syrian offensive

YPG fighters won't risk destruction by spearheading offensive

While Kurdish militia units have had some recent success in their fight for survival against the Islamic State in northern Syria, a leader with the militia says they have no intention of attacking the Islamic State's capital of Raqqa, and such an offensive should be undertaken by Syrian rebels.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Despite having advanced to within just 30 miles of the Islamic State's de facto capital, Saleh Moslem, the leader of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) says that Kurdish forces will not lead any offensive on the city, highlighting the disunity between the various forces arrayed against the Islamic State.

Kurdish YPG militia units with assistance from smaller Syrian rebel groups took the town of Ain Issa on Tuesday, but the Islamic State is reportedly digging in near Raqqa to oppose any fresh offensive.

"We spoke to the YPG leadership. They don't have a plan toward Raqqa so far. This (decision) is linked to the revolutionary forces in Raqqa," Moslem said in an interview with Reuters.
"When they are ready to free Raqqa, to liberate it, perhaps the YPG will decide to support them. But the YPG have not made a decision in this regard so far."

So far Syrian rebels, the Syrian and Iraqi governments and shi'ite militia units have proven sub-par against the Islamic State, and all notable gains have only been made by Kurdish units, often backed by U.S. air power. This has turned the war against the Islamic State into a war of slow attrition, where advances made on one front are met with losses on all others.

Part of the YPG's reluctance to venture far into Syrian territory is that the Kurd's would lack support in the primarily Arab regions of Syria and Iraq, and would be far afield from support from home and the group's goal of defending Kurdish territory.

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