New batch of US weapons sent to Kurdish forces in Raqqa: Observatory

RAQQA, Syria (Kurdistan 24) – A new batch of weapons and military equipment sent by the US has reached the Kurdish-led forces battling the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Tuesday.

Dozens of vehicles arrived in Raqqa where the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), continues its fight with IS to retake the city.

“New military reinforcements of weapons, materials, and vehicles provided by the international coalition reached the vicinity of Raqqa city,” an online SOHR statement informed.

The weapons and military equipment were sent as part of Washington’s agreement to arm Kurdish forces battling the extremists in their de facto capital in Syria.

The SOHR statement added the new batch of weapons were sent to SDF forces as they prepare “for the final battle in the city.”

The Kurdish-led forces have achieved consistent gains against the militant group in its last remaining Syrian major stronghold, the report highlighted.

Brett McGurk, the US special presidential envoy for the global coalition against IS, last week said the YPG-led SDF had recaptured “over 45 percent of Raqqa” from the extremists.

“Today, in Raqqa, [IS] is fighting for every last block…and fighting for their own survival,” McGurk underlined.

The US official also mentioned there were nearly 2,000 IS militants remaining in the city as coalition forces continue to surround them.

According to McGurk, the extremist group has lost nearly 70,000 square kilometers of the territory it once controlled in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

Meanwhile, sources close to Raqqa on Wednesday reported the SDF had regained 55 percent of the area from IS.

Editing by G.H. Renaud