Raqqa battle: Kurdish-led forces break into city, liberate neighborhoods

The US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance forces said on Tuesday they broke into the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) from two sides.

RAQQA, Syria (Kurdistan24) – The US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance forces on Tuesday said they broke into the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) on two different fronts.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) published on its social media accounts that their forces broke into Raqqa city from the east.

“Our forces [SDF] liberated al-Mishlab district at the city's southeastern outskirts after advancing for about 1.5 km towards the center of the city,” SDF reported.

An SDF fighter who spoke to Kurdistan24 on the condition of anonymity said they are making headway towards the city center, facing car bombs and suicide bombers.

“The city center is about two kilometers far and we are advancing rapidly and noticeably,” he said.

On the southwestern outskirts of the city, the SDF command reported they took control of a hill called "Hercules Castle," on the western entrance of Raqqa after engaging in heavy clashes with IS militants.

Dozens of IS insurgents were killed in the clashes, while no SDF casualties reported so far.

The advance comes after the SDF, with the support of the US-led coalition, announced the start of a comprehensive operation to retake the city of Raqqa from IS.

The operation began from the north, east, and west of the city, with the south bordered by the River Euphrates.

The US-led coalition said the fight for Raqqa would be "long and difficult" but would deliver a "decisive blow to the idea of Islamic State as a physical caliphate."

 

Editing by G.H. Renaud