Once the Syrian Arab Coalition grows to the ideal size and strength, and final preparations are complete, the SDF will shift its offensive to a direct attack on Raqqa.
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The twin offensives are two of the most significant ground assaults against the extremists since they declared a self-styled “caliphate” in Iraq and Syria in 2014.
The US soldiers could be seen climbing onto pickup trucks fitted with heavy machine guns and driving across the swathes of agricultural plains that make up northern Raqqa province. On Wednesday, forces from Iraq’s 8th Division bolstered by tribal fighters pushed forward from areas to its south, said Staff Major General Ismail al- Mahalawi, the head of the Operations Command for Iraq’s Anbar province.
“Hundreds of villagers in Mlehan, Tal Shahin and al-Adriya are held hostage by ISIS militants, who are engaged in clashes with SDF forces in the vicinity of those villages”, said SDF officer Habun Osman on the phone. Its capture had further isolated Raqqa.
Warren acknowledged that the soldiers were north of Raqqa, the self-proclaimed capital of the Islamic State.
US State Department deputy spokesperson Mark Toner said at a press briefing on Tuesday that Washington coordinated with the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in efforts to reclaim Raqqa, but declined to elaborate whether it was cooperating with Russian Federation in the liberation campaign.
The Raqqa offensive focuses on the northern outskirts of the city, according to a Syrian Democratic Force Commander who was quoted on the group’s Twitter account.
They are using the civilians as a cover.
“They are basically on the front lines, backing up the local SDF forces with artillery and targeting assistance”.
Iraqi forces cleared areas around Fallujah yesterday after launching an assault to retake the city, tightening their siege on Islamic State group fighters but also raising fears for civilians trapped inside.
“They also talk of some schools as places to stay because these schools have basements, something underground, so they are protected from the airstrikes”.
With forces converging on the city, concerns grew that the estimated 50,000 civilians believed to still be inside had nowhere to go.
Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, blamed Russia’s military support to the Assad regime as a main hurdle in the peace process.
“They are trying to show all the time that their city is a paradise, and everything is okay and you can find whatever you want”.
“ISIS has forced hundreds of civilians to stay inside buildings in central Raqqa that used to be security centres for the radical group”.
Rami Abdel Rahman, from the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said ISIS is “concentrating 2,000 fighters along the front lines north of Raqqa” to repel the offensive.
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The SDF is an alliance of Arab and Kurdish militias that have carved out broad swaths of territory in north and northeastern Syria.
