US-backed forces for final push on IS-held Raqa
TABQA, Syria: US-backed fighters said on Friday they were preparing for a final assault on the IS group’s Syrian bastion Raqa, likely next month, with new weapons and armoured vehicles promised by Washington.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) earlier this week captured the city of Tabqa and an adjacent dam, a major prize in the offensive for Raqa.
“The attack on Raqa will take place in the beginning of the summer,” SDF commander Rojda Felat said in Tabqa, which lies on the banks of the Euphrates River about 55 km west of Raqa. She later specified that it would likely start in June based on “military and tactical considerations.”
SDF commanders announced the looming assault at a news conference in Tabqa, which the alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters captured from IS on Wednesday along with the nearby dam in one of their most important victories yet.
On Friday, an AFP team entered Tabqa and the adjacent dam — Syria’s largest — and saw rows of sandbags, mangled cars and craters from heavy bombardment dotting the structure.
The battle for Tabqa was marked by fears that the dam would be severely damaged and collapse, leading to massive flooding downstream.
The body of an alleged IS fighter was seen on Friday floating in the artificial reservoir created by the dam.
The SDF’s fight for Raqa — dubbed Operation Wrath of the Euphrates — has already seen the alliance capture large swathes of the surrounding province with help from the US-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and Syria.
The SDF are working to tighten the noose around Raqa before a final assault. At their closest point, the US-backed forces are just 8 km from the city.
They are backed by coalition air strikes, US special forces advisers, and even an American Marines artillery battery.
SDF deputy head Qahraman Hassan said: “In the beginning of the summer, we will storm and liberate (Raqa) city.”