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ISIL supply line into Raqqa is severed

Insurgents order civilians to adopt Afghan clothing to blend in with fighters as coalition blocks road to Deir Ezzor

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BEIRUT // Syrian fighters yesterday cut off ISIL’s main link between its self-declared capital of Raqqa in northern Syria and the eastern city of Deir Ezzor, which it partially controls. A spokesman for the Kurdish-led Syria Democratic Forces said that it was still too early to impose a siege on Raqqa because ISIL still controlled areas west and south of the city.

The Syrian Observator­y for Human Rights said SDF fighters blocked the road linking the cities in the area of Jazra near Raqqa early yesterday.

It is now difficult for people to leave or enter Raqqa with the new territory captured east of the city and after last month’s air strikes by the US-led coalition that destroyed two main bridges across the Euphrates river on the southern edge of Raqqa, the Britain-based monitoring group said. The SDF launched an offensive to retake Raqqa in November and is supported by coalition air strikes and a deployment of about 500 US special forces operators who the Pentagon said are acting as advisers.

The SDF began a third phase of the operation last month with the aim of capturing villages and towns east of Raqqa, while SDF fighters are now stationed 8 kilometres north of the Euphrates river city

But despite the latest blockade on the Raqqa- Deir Ezzor road, ISIL still controls large swaths of ground south of Raqqa and the extremists should be able to use smaller roads and paths through open desert to move between the cities.

With, ISIL coming under increasing pressure in Raqqa, the extremists have imposed an “Afghan- style” dress code on men in the city to help its fighters blend in with the civil- ian population, a monitor and activists said. “For more than two weeks, Afghan-style clothing has been imposed by Daesh,” said Abu Mohamed yesterday. Mr Mohamed is an activist with the Raqa is Being Slaughtere­d Silently group. “Anyone who does not comply faces prison and a fine,” he said.

The rule “is an attempt to make it harder for planes and the Kurdish forces to distinguis­h between civilians and Daesh members”, he said.

The Observator­y said the rule was imposed “so that informants giving coordinate­s to the US-led coalition will not be able to distinguis­h between civilians and fighters”. Mr Mohamed said there was a “state of alert” in Raqqa, with new checkpoint­s springing up and ISIL arresting anyone who describes the situation as dire.

“Prices are skyrocketi­ng and there is no electricit­y or water.”

The rights group also said civilians and the families of ISIL fighters were attempting to flee into Raqqa province from neighbouri­ng Aleppo, where ISIL is under assault in the east.

“Thousands of families in recent days have tried to reach the borders of Raqqa province, along with about 120 families of fighters and commanders of ISIL,” the rights group said.

It said ISIL was preventing civilians from entering the province “but granted families of its fighters” a document allowing “passage to Raqqa city by boat as ground transport is impossible because the bridges across the Euphrates have been destroyed”.

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