Russia's Defense Ministry on Sept. 18 denied that Moscow's warplanes bombed positions of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces [11] in Deir ez-Zor [12] governorate. Both the SDF and the Pentagon reported the strikes, which left six Kurdish fighters injured on the eastern outskirts of Deir ez-Zor city. US forces were apparently embedded with the SDF unit, although no casualties were reported among the Americans. A Pentagon official said the US-led coalition denied a Russian military request to strike an area where there were SDF fighters and coalition advisors, but the Russians apparently decided to attack anyway. (EA Worldview [13])
The incident exposes the precarious situation faced by the Syrian Kurds in the Great Power game being played for control of the region. Russian troops are said to be embedded among Kurdish forces awaiting a Turkish advance on the enclave of Afrin [14]. This is but the latest example of Kurdish cooperation with Russia [14]—and, by extension, the Moscow-backed Assad regime. But the regime and Kurds are ultimately at odds over the question of autonomy [14] for the Kurdish region of Rojava. The city of Deir ez-Zor may prove a breaking point. The city continues to be held by ISIS, but the SDF is advancing on the city from the east while pro-Assad forces are advancing from the west. As with the besieged ISIS capital of Raqqa [11], the fall of Deir ez-Zor may only open a new phase of the war. And of course the proximity of US and Russian forces holds the risk of escalation to a global conflict...
