Several sources have said that the Syrian government has tactically avoided ISIL forces in order to weaken opposition such as the Free Syrian Army (FSA).[1] According to United States Secretary of State John Kerry the Syrian government purposely ceded territory to ISIL.[17] An IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center database analysis showed that only 6% of Syrian government forces attacks were targeted at ISIL from January to November 2014, while in the same period only 13% of all ISIL attacks targeted government forces.[18]