IS wages fierce battles in Raqa

Islamic State group jihadists waged fierce battles yesterday in their Syrian stronghold Raqa in a bid to repel US-backed fighters advancing towards the walls of the Old City. The Kurdish and Arab fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) entered Raqa a week ago, after months of fighting to encircle the northern city that has become a jihadist bastion. Since then, they have seized one neighborhood in western Raqa and another in the east, where they are now battling to secure control of the Al-Senaa district that leads to the Old City.

Jihan Sheikh Ahmed, spokeswoman for the SDF campaign for Raqa, said the jihadist group was putting up stiff resistance. “There is fierce fighting against Daesh which is making heavy use of mines and snipers and sometimes car bombs,” she said, using the Arabic acronym for IS. She said clashes in Al-Senaa were continuing yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor also reported heavy IS attacks against SDF fighters in the area. “The district is not yet completely secured because of the repeated jihadist attacks,” the Britain-based group said.

Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the capture of Al-Senaa would be the SDF’s “most important advance in the battle for Raqa because it brings them to the centre of the city.”“The main battle for Raqa will take place in the city centre,” he said. He added that a large number of IS fighters were holed up in the Old City, where the jihadist group is also believed to have dug tunnels to facilitate their defense of the area. Since entering Raqa on June 6, the SDF has captured the eastern neighborhood of Al-Meshleb, as well as Al-Rumaniya in the city’s west. It is now battling to push from Al-Rumaniya into neighboring Hatin district.