Assault on Raqqa ‘only days away’

Kurdish-led forces say they are ready to start final stages of military operation

BEIRUT // US- backed Syrian forces made progress against ISIL militants along the southern bank of the Euphrates River yesterday as the coalition positions itself to launch a decisive bid for Raqqa, the capital of the militants’ “caliphate”.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said they were in control of 90 per cent of the town of Mansoura, about 26 kilometres south- west of Raqqa. Jihan Ahmed, spokeswoman for the force’s Wrath of the Euphrates campaign, said the battle to capture Raqqa would begin “in days”.

Talal Sello, also of the SDF, said all major routes into the city had been cut and the attack would be launched from the north, west and east of Raqqa. “The SDF has completed the siege from the northern and eastern sides and is working to complete the siege from the west,” he said.

The Britain-based monitoring service the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the forces had been in fierce fighting with ISIL along the southern bank of the Euphrates River, capturing Mansoura and the adjacent Baath Dam.

The river leads to Raqqa and operations were under way to clear the area of mines and militants. Already, the forces have reached the northern and eastern gates of Raqqa, which lies on the north bank of the river. On Wednesday, ISIL’s Amaq news agency said the coalition had destroyed Raqqa’s main telecommunication centre.

The campaign has led to widescale displacement around Raqqa province, according to the United Nations, and conditions are deteriorating inside the provincial capital.

There were also reports of mounting civilian casualties and conflicting numbers, which are difficult to confirm.

In last month alone, about 95,000 residents fled their homes or shelters because of violence in Raqqa province, according to the UN’s refugee agency.

Others have returned to their homes as the SDF captured ground from ISIL.

Yesterday, a convoy of armoured vehicles and lorries carrying bulldozers and other machinery was seen passing through Ain Issa, a key staging ground for SDF operations.