BEIRUT :-U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters in
northern Syria have launched a new offensive that aims to capture towns and
villages east of the Islamic State -held northern city of Raqqa. The new
offensive by the Syria Democratic Forces was announced Saturday in a statement
read by spokeswoman Cihan Sheikh Ehmed.
She said it is the third phase of the
Raqqa operation, which began last November.
The aim of the operation is to isolate Raqqa
from the rest of IS-held territories before storming the city itself. The
announcement came a day after aircraft from the U.S.-led coalition destroyed
two bridges on the southern edge of Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS'
self-declared caliphate.
RAQQA PROVINCE, Syria (Reuters) - An alliance
of U.S.-backed militias said it had started a new phase of its campaign against
the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa on Saturday, aiming to complete its
encirclement and sever the road to militant strongholds in Deir al-Zor
province.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a
statement the action was being undertaken with "increasing support from
the (U.S.-led) international coalition forces through guaranteeing air cover
for our forces' advances, or via the help provided by their special teams to
our forces on the battle ground".
The SDF, which includes the powerful Kurdish
YPG militia, launched its multi-phased campaign aimed at encircling and
ultimately capturing Raqqa in November. A SDF commander told Reuters the forces
had so far advanced a few kilometres (miles) in the latest phase, which aims to
capture areas to the east of the city, including the highway linking it to Deir
al-Zor province.
Deir al-Zor, which is almost entirely in
Islamic State hands, stretches all the way to the Iraqi border. A Kurdish
military source told Reuters on Tuesday that the goals of this phase included
capturing the main highway. Several hundred U.S. special forces soldiers have
been supporting SDF operations against Islamic State in northern Syria. France
said in June that its special forces were advising rebels in the same area.
This is the third phase of the Raqqa
operation. The first phase targeted areas north of Raqqa city. The second
phase, targeting areas to the west of the city, is ongoing, with SDF forces yet
to capture the Islamic State-held Euphrates dam. U.S. support for the SDF has
been a point of tension with NATO ally Turkey, which views the YPG as an
extension of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a group that has fought a
three-decade insurgency in Turkey.
The United States says it is providing
training and material support only to Arab elements of the SDF. It supplied
them last month with armoured vehicles for the first time to help in the Raqqa
campaign. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week
requesting the Pentagon, joint chiefs of staff and other agencies to submit a
preliminary plan in 30 days for defeating Islamic State.
One key decision awaiting the Trump
administration is whether to directly provide weapons to the YPG.
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