U.S.-Backed Fighters Advance on Syria's IS-Held Raqa
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia has advanced to within four kilometers north and east of the Islamic State group's Syrian bastion Raqa, a spokesperson and monitor said Tuesday.
The advances bring the SDF, a Kurdish-Arab alliance, closer than ever to the jihadist group's most important remaining Syrian stronghold.
But the fighters are still 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Raqa to the west, and they do not control any territory directly to the city's south, which is bordered by the Euphrates river.
The SDF "on Monday took three villages four kilometers (two miles) north of Raqa," spokesman Talal Sello told AFP.
The alliance also seized two more villages four kilometers to the east of the city on Monday night, he added.
"We are close to encircling Raqa from the east and the north, but we need to advance on the western front before launching the assault (on the city) at the right moment."
Last week, the SDF seized the town of Tabqa and the adjacent dam, around 55 kilometers (35 miles) west of Raqa, and the alliance will now push on towards their next target, the town of al-Mansura.
The SDF has said the long-awaited attack on Raqa would start at the beginning of the summer, probably in June.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor confirmed the capture of the five villages, saying the SDF had advanced by four kilometers on the northern front and two kilometers on the eastern one.
"The SDF wants to link up its troops to the north and east of Raqa," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
IS fighters are still able to move in and out of the city via the area to its south, crossing the Euphrates by boat, according to SDF sources.
From there they head further south to the IS-held town of al-Sukhna in Homs province, and onwards east, to Deir Ezzor province, which remains almost completely under the control of the jihadists.
The SDF launched an operation to retake Raqa city in November 2016 and it has received key backing from the U.S.-led coalition carrying out air strikes on IS.
16 May 2017, 18:07
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Sultan Erdogan will find a way to help his ISIL minions by killing some Kurds.
16 May 2017, 20:42
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lulz @ mowaten brilliant as usual love that guy Erdogan just because Sayyed Hassan loves him
الطيب اردوغان ، الطيب الطيب اردوغان" - حسن نصرالله"
16 May 2017, 22:43
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Of course it's not Turkish, it's Arabic I knew it all along LOL. and no my handlers did not tell me it was Arabic, and no I am not paid to post what they give I know all about Lebanon and it's news because I read all the important Lebanese newspapers like الأخبار, الديار, الوطن, السفير, تشرين, البعث in the original Arabic. In fact my longtime boyfriend the_roar and I are very fluent in Arabic we can speak it, read it and write it fluently like any other real Lebanese, walaw.
17 May 2017, 11:54
01
Ya MiniMe, Turks don't write in Arabic, I was referring to the Roman letter part. It doesn't make sense. You have a long way to go before you can be my successor.
