Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), pictured here in May, help lead the U.S.-backed alliance called the Syrian Democratic Forces. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTO)
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are only in 1 km away from the Al-Mashlab district located in the eastern part of Raqqa city.
They also captured the Na’el and Nozha farms west of the village of Raqqa Samra and besieged ISIS fighters near the the Ba’ath dam. Violent clashes are reportedly ongoing in the area as ISIS militants are trying to break the siege by regaining control of the nearby Mansoura village.
Yesterday, ISIS claimed the killing of 17 Kurdish fighters in the village of Raqqa Samra. ISIS militants also attacked alleged PKK positions in the village of Qabia’ Gharbi in the western Raqqa countryside and managed to kill 6 PKK members.
According to local sources, 422 civilians were killed during the last month in Raqqa city. 324 of them were killed as a result of US-led coalition airstrikes.
According to opposition sources, the SDF began negotiations with ISIS terrorist organization to withdraw from the Ba’ath Dam and the villages of Mansoura and Hnidi.
Moreover,I SIS commander and scholar Turki Al Bana’ali was killed in a US-collation airstrike in Raqqa. Al Bana’ali allegedly was one of the founders of ISIS in terms of ideology and strategic planning.
