New Syrian rebel advance against IS may take months, commander says
BEIRUT -- Syrian rebels, who this week seized a strategic town from ISIS, aim to move westward in the next phase of their Turkey-backed operation, an advance that could take weeks or months to complete, a rebel commander said.
Colonel Ahmad Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, also told Reuters the rebels did not wish to fight Kurdish forces that have advanced in northern Syria as part of a separate campaign against ISIS, but would do so if necessary.
Osman, speaking to Reuters from Jarablus, said the priority was now to advance some 70 km (40 miles) westward to Marea, a town where rebels have long had a frontline with ISIS.
"We want to cleanse this area before moving south," Osman said. Failing to do so would leave the rebels at risk of ISIS counter attack, he said. "The priority is from Jarablus in the direction of al-Rai, reaching Marea."
Osman said there were dozens of villages between Jarablus and Marea that must be recaptured from ISIS. "Liberating these villages between Jarablus and Marea requires weeks and perhaps months, according to the nature of the battles," he said.
Osman, 49, said both Turkey and the US-led coalition against ISIS, of which Ankara is a part, were keen to provide air support for the operation.
"We are ready to supply greater numbers, depending on the nature of the battle," he said.
