Reports said the terror group also went on arrest raids for young men to oblige them to fight among its ranks.
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However, the SDF is now dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), which have been effective against the Islamic State in territory they are familiar with in the north and northeast but are less inclined to spearhead operations farther south toward Raqqa.
Baghdad-based U.S. military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren confirmed the assault, saying: “The SDF have begun operations to clear the northern countryside, so this is putting pressure on Raqa”.
Fighting was reportedly ongoing on Tuesday near Ain Issa, situated around 55km from the ISIL-controlled city.
A report accompanying the photos quoted a Syrian rebel commander named Baraa al-Ghanem as saying the USA forces were “present at all positions along the front”.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said there had been intense coalition strikes in Raqqa on Tuesday, killing at least 22 jihadis. Two troops have been killed in the fighting, and several more wounded.
A fragile truce agreed between the United States and Russian Federation in February had curtailed Syria’s bloodshed despite consistent allegations of violations, but the worldwide fight against IS was excluded from the ceasefire deal. They’re backed by paramilitary troops and US -led coalition air support, as The Associated Press reports.
A photographer with Agence France-Presse captured USA special operations forces with Kurdish forces known as the YPG, part of the US-mentored Syrian Democratic Forces, in a rural village less than 40 miles from Raqqa.
Syria experts however doubt that the SDF is ready for an attack on Raqqa city.
Without confirming or denying that it was an American wearing a YPG patch, Cook said that it was not unusual for Special Forces units to adopt the insignia of partnering groups they advise and assist. “There were constant air strikes on Raqa by the coalition overnight”, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.
“Daesh has prepared for this fight in recent months by digging tunnels and lining them with explosives, as well as preparing vehicle bombs and hiding in buildings among civilians”, Abdel Rahman added.
“There is a chance now that such coordination will take place”.
A resident of the nearby town of al-Bab said that in recent days, some residents of central Raqqa had been allowed to leave the city center for the outlying areas.
Warren said the coalition has “always been focused on evicting ISIS” from Raqqa. Since the start of the Falluja offensive was announced on Monday, Iraqi troops backed by pro-government militias have been advancing toward the city from surrounding areas.
The UN said that only 800 people of an estimated 50,000 had been able to flee Fallujah since May 22, “mostly from outlying areas”.
The SDF did not mention any plan to take the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the “caliphate” proclaimed by IS in 2014.
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To definitively defeat Daesh, Iraqi and Syrian fighters would have to address local concerns, sectarian politics, and ethnic divisions.
