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Brett McGurk, US special envoy for the coalition against ISIS, said that at least 2000 ISIS fighters are still inside Raqqa city and they are willing to fight.
“Most likely [they] will die in Raqqa,” McGurk added. “Today in Raqqa ISIS is fighting for every last block … and fighting for their own survival.”
On Saturday, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) further advanced in Nazlat Shehada district in the southern part of Raqqa city, according to pro-kurdish sources. SDF fighters killed 5 ISIS fighters and seized several weapons and ammunition.
In Al-Rawda district in the eastern part of Raqqa city, SDF fighters killed 7 ISIS members. Other 3 ISIS fighters were killed in Al-Barid district in the northern part of the city.
Furthermore, SDF fighters managed to evacuate dozens of civilians from Raqqa after they had opened a safe route in Nazlat Shehada district.
المدنيون يفرون من الاشتباكات بين #داعش و #قسد في #الرقة ويصلون الى المناطق المحررة التابعة لـ #قوات_سوريا_الديمقراطية pic.twitter.com/IGx6kbPWl2
— قوات سوريا من الجبهة (@QSD_Jabha) 5 August 2017
فتحت #قسد ممر جديد جنوب #الرقة لتسمح للمدنيين بالنزوح من الاحياء التي يتواجد فيها جرذان دولة الخرافة #داعش pic.twitter.com/0Pi88Pt5Qf
— قوات سوريا من الجبهة (@QSD_Jabha) 5 August 2017
From its side, the ISIS-linked News Agency Amaq published photos of ISIS attacks on SDF inside Raqqa.
Other Amaq photos showed an ISIS DIY armed drone attack on a SDF vehicle in Raqqa.
The SDF will soon receive armored bulldozers to protect its troops from ISIS VBIEDs inside Raqqa city, according to pro-kurdish sources. The Iraqi Forces had successfully used armored bulldozers during the Battle of Mosul.
I’ve noticed that every time people talk about SDF, they put female fighters. “Look I’m a woman I can’t be bad”. There is a war for your brain.
Kurds as well. Seems they leave all the fighting to the women.
Seems that the US coalition is always trying to over estimate the number of ISUS fighters remaining. What is the reason behind this ? I would think their numbers in Raqqa would be much less than 1000 by now.
Probably are a lot less – but we can’t have the mightiest military machine this world has ever seen losing against a tiny bunch of militants again can we?
Americans themselves might begin to wonder if … Exceptional = Special = Retarded ……… as well.
As someone who cleared hundreds of those damn IEDs in Kirkuk, Hawijah, Tuz, Kalis, Baqubah, and other towns, I’d love to gain better insight on how they are using these armored dozers. Are they pushing up dirt/debris at intersections etc to close any avenue of approach? Or are they used differently? Because I’d think they could just park civ vehicles at certain locations to gain same outcome. I guess reading between the lines it seems dozers have come to play a critical role in these ops and I’d like to better understand that on a tactical level.
bye mom///really
As you may remember ISIS in Raqqa started to leave the city before SDF arrives there. Even more, once the SDF was in the city, SDF left an open place where ISIS can get out the city to Deir Ezzor. So, the number of ISIS fighting in the city must has left less than 10%, that is, about 400 to 800. Why is USA (specially) interested in giving a much bigger number ? Well, USA-NATO-Israel want us to believe that they are fighting the terrorism, am I wrong ?, and that SDF has been having a terrible fighting with ISIS, that is why the city needs to be bomb with any weapon. Of course, the city and the people are not the target. The city is totally destroyed and the civil people are killed just for bad luck or God will.