Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) issued a statement in a southeastern village of Heseke with participation from SDF commanders. The statement was read by Operation Cizire Storm Spokesperson Lilwa El Ebdullah.

Lilwa El Ebdullah said ISIS gangs have been surrounded after the liberation of the Baqhous village and stated that an operation has been launched to liberate the Dashisha town in Heseke. Lilwa El Ebdullah added that there are still ISIS gangs in the 3 km area in Heseke and that the aim of the operation is the liberation of southeastern areas of Heseke and clearing of the Iraq-Syria border.

The statement is as follows:

“Following the liberation of the Baqhous village by our forces as part of the second phase in the Operation Cizire Storm, ISIS gangs have been surrounded where they are. Our forces now announce that the operation to liberate Dashisha town in Heseke is underway.

The war moving towards Dashisha is a continuation of the efforts to protect the security of the Syria-Iraq border to the southeast of Heseke and all of Heseke’s villages from ISIS. The ISIS terrorists are still present in a 3 km area in Heseke, and their center is Dashisha.

The operation to liberate Dashisha will be carried out in coordination with the Iraqi army and the International Coalition as per previous planning. Our forces will go to the Dashisha town to eradicate terror with this planning and joint coordination. The goal is to protect the security and stability of liberated areas and people who have been subjected to tyranny and oppression for years.

This statement is issued a few hours after our forces started to move against ISIS in the field. Our goal with this operation is to liberate the remaining areas to the southeast of Heseke.

Our Operation Cizire Storm had been paused due to attacks by the Turkish army and their allied gangs against the Afrin Canton, and has been reinstated on May 1.

As part of the second phase of the operation, our forces have advanced and liberated a wide area including the Baghous village. This operation we are announcing is to liberate the area to the southeast of Heseke and to clear our border with Iraq.”