US-backed Syria force advances against IS in key town of Tabqa

BEIRUT: A US-backed Kurdish-Arab alliance is advancing against the IS group in the key town of Tabqa near the bastion of Raqa in northern Syria, a monitor said on Sunday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces now control over half the town of Tabqa, including most of its heart, the Old City, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said.

Observatory Director Rami Abdel Rahman said fighting was continuing in the town on Sunday morning.

The SDF published photos on Sunday it said showed items retrieved from newly captured parts of the town, including at least a dozen guns, as well as missiles, ammunition, and an IS flag.

The SDF entered Tabqa last Monday as part of their offensive against Raqa, IS’s de facto Syrian capital.

Supported by US-led coalition air strikes and special forces advisers, the SDF surrounded Tabqa in early April.

The town sits on a strategic supply route about 55 km west of Raqa, and served as an important IS command base, housing the group’s main prison.

It is also adjacent to the Tabqa dam, another important strategic prize which remains under IS control.

The assault on Tabqa began in late March when SDF forces and their USled coalition allies were airlifted behind IS lines.

The city is home to an estimated 85,000 people, including IS fighters from other areas.

IS has put up fierce resistance, including using weaponised drones, a tactic the group perfected in neighbouring Iraq. — AFP