Kurdish militia aims to connect Kurdish enclaves in Syria - Al-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Nov 23, 2013

A pro-Kurdish demonstrator displays his tattoo as she attends a rally marking the 20th anniversary of the introduction of a ban of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Berlin November 16, 2013. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX15G0V — A pro-Kurdish demonstrator displays his tattoo as he attends a rally marking the 20th anniversary of the introduction of a ban of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Berlin, Nov. 16, 2013. — REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz

A Kurdish fighter from the Popular Protection Units (YPG) holds his weapon as he takes position atop a building with a YPG flag in Aleppo's Sheikh Maqsoud neighbourhood, June 7, 2013. Kurdish fighters from the YPG joined the Free Syrian Army to fight against forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad. Picture taken June 7, 2013. REUTERS/Muzaffar Salman (SYRIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX10USX

Syrian Kurds, rebels find common enemy in ISIS

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Members of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) walk together in Al-Rmelan, Qamshli province November 11, 2013. With a string of military gains across northeastern Syria, a Kurdish militia is solidifying a geographic and political presence in the war-torn country, posing a dilemma for regional powers. Long oppressed under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, Kurds view the civil war as an opportunity to gain the kind of autonomy enjoyed by their ethnic kin in neighbouring Iraq.

Syrian Kurds aim to benefit from Islamist infighting

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Demonstrators hold Kurdish and Syrian opposition flags during a protest against Syria's President Bashar al-Assad in Kobani, near Aleppo, July 16, 2012. Picture taken July 16, 2012. REUTERS/Shaam News Network/Handout (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR350D5

Syrian Kurds blame Iran, Turkey for ISIS attacks

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Wladimir van Wilgenburg (Syria Pulse)

Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) fighters drive a tank at the eastern entrances to the town of Tal Abyad in the northern countryside of Raqqa, Syria, June 14, 2015, after they took control of nearby Suluk town from Islamic State fighters. The YPG, working with the U.S.-led alliance and small Syrian rebel groups, has pushed into Islamic State's Syrian stronghold of Raqqa province, threatening one of its supply lines to the jihadists' de facto capital, Raqqa city. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX1GFQ8

The Coalition’s quagmire with Syrian Kurds

Denise Natali