Kurdish-led forces encircle Raqqa city, tighten noose on IS

RAQQA, Syria (Kurdistan24) – The US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance forces fighting the Islamic State (IS) in Syria on Wednesday announced they had besieged the center of Raqqa city from all sides.

In a statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they liberated a district on the west side of the city and killed 19 IS militants.

SDF fighters told Kurdistan24 they were fighting in the Der’iya neighborhood in the southwest of the city and could meet the other front on the southeastern side.

“The city center is completely besieged, and our forces are fighting from all sides,” said Ali Shervan, a Kurdish SDF fighter.

He also pointed out the southern corridor for IS militants on the Euphrates was blocked by the SDF.

Bave Delil, another SDF fighter, told Kurdistan24 about the ongoing street fighting against IS, and the change of the militant group’s fighting strategy in Raqqa.

“[IS] militants do not fight face to face, rather they send suicide bombers or plant mines to impede the advance of our troops,” he said.

“Sometimes, they infiltrate our areas through tunnels, but we repel them,” Delil said pointing out that IS militants have no strong resistance, and usually withdraw and flee.

A few days ago, the SDF also took control of a strategic neighborhood called Qadisia, located in the west of Raqqa, after three days of intense fighting.

After gaining control of most of the city’s neighborhoods and tightening the noose on IS, the SDF discovered a wide network of hundreds of tunnels dug in the city.

Building an extensive network of tunnels indicates IS militants have already prepared themselves for a street fight.

SDF fighters say IS no longer uses guns in street fights, but rather, they use car bombs, snipers, suicide bombers, and drones dropping explosives.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany

(Additional reporting by Redwan Bezar, Kurdistan24 correspondent embedded with the SDF in Raqqa)