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Assault begins on ISIS stronghold Raqqa
US-backed Syrian forces have begun an offensive to liberate the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) confirmed that the assault on the city, which is ISIS’s headquarters, began on Monday. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has reported that the SDF attacked the eastern edge of Raqqa on Tuesday, along with a military base on the city’s outskirts.
SDF spokesperson Talal Sillo said that the offensive was operating on multiple fronts “in coordination with the US-led coalition”. He added that “morale is high and military readiness to implement the military plan is complete,” and predicted the battle would be “fierce because ISIL will die to defend their so-called capital”.
US Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend agreed that the offensive would be “long and difficult,” but was optimistic about the prospects for the complete territorial defeat of ISIS, saying: “It’s hard to convince new recruits that [IS] is a winning cause when they just lost their twin ‘capitals’ in both Iraq and Syria.”
The US-led coalition estimates that 3,000 to 4,000 ISIS fighters are holed up within Raqqa.
ISIS first seized Raqqa in 2014, after it had become the first regional capital of Syria to fall to rebel groups opposed to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and established its headquarters there. The SDF began their advance towards the city in November 2016 – since October 2015 they have driven ISIS out of approximately 2,300 square miles of territory in Northern Syria.
The US recently confirmed it had been supplying arms to the Kurdish militia group that makes up a significant portion of the SDF, the Popular Protection Units (YPG). Of the 50,000 SDF fighters, around 40 per cent are Kurds and 60 per cent are Arabs.
The announcement drew stern criticism from Turkey, which considers the YPG to be connected to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which is involved in a longstanding conflict with the Turkish government over Kurdish rights and the creation of an independent Kurdish state. On Tuesday, Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim warned that the country will retaliate immediately if the assault on Raqqa presents a threat to Turkey.