Day 7.

Breakfast at the hotel in Qamishli of Kurdish cheese, bread, sweet porridge and çay before beginning our journey south.


Our plan for today was to head south from Qamishli down to Al Hasakah, obtain necessary permission from the SDF base there, and then head further south to the city of Al Shaddadah. Al Shaddadah was initially captured on the 14th of February, 2013 by the Islamist Al-Nusra Front, and then subsequently by ISIS. After two years of ISIS control, it was liberated on 20 February 2016 by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), 8 weeks before our visit.


An overhead road sign just before a checkpoint to Al Hasakah. Amongst the destinations is the disputed city of Aleppo and Al-Raqqah, the headquarters of ISIS in Syria.


Stopping for coffee and biscuits on the way.


At about 10am, we made it to the main SDF base in the city of Al Hasakah.

Like Qamishli, the regime still maintains some control over Al Hasakah. While originally controlling the majority of the city, the regime quickly wilted after ISIS attempted to capture the city during the Battle of al-Hasakah in June 2015 and lost large areas of control of the city. These areas were then captured by the YPG when ISIS was defeated and expelled from the city.

A soldier carries a crate of 14.5×114mm heavy machine gun ammunition at the SDF base in Al Hasakah. The YPG make up the majority of the fighters in the alliance, and although the US-led coalition has hesitated in arming the YPG directly, they have received materiel support indirectly as being part of the SDF.


General Tala Silo, the spokesman for the SDF in Al Hasakah. Mr. Silo, a Turkmen, was previously with the Regime, but switched sides 4 years previously. After a brief chat about our plans for the day, he gave us the necessary paperwork to allow us to continue onto Al Shaddadah.


A shot-up sign to Damascus, Palmyra and Deir Ezzor on the outskirts of Al Hasakah. Also note the damaged and non-functional powerlines in the background.


Two destroyed ISIS Humvees and a truck on the road to Al Shaddadah.


The absurdity of US-backed forces using US weaponry to destroy US-made military vehicles is perhaps an apt reflection of the very complicated mess in the Middle East that America is reluctantly being forced to deal with.


After arriving at Al Shaddadah we met up with a group of YPJ (Women's Protection Units), who welcomed us and made us some coffee. As we were chatting, a Regime MiG-21 flew low overhead, presumably on a reconnaissance mission.