FILE IMAGE: AFP 2017/ DELIL SOULEIMAN
On Thursday, ISIS fighters launched a counter-attack in Raqqa city and recaptured the blood bank building, al-Rasheed park, al-Rasheed high school and other positions around the national hospital in the center of the city, according to Syrian opposition sources.
The ISIS-linked news agency Amaq claimed that ISIS captured 2 fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in al-Nahdah district in the center of Raqqa city. Amaq also claimed that ISIS fighters destroyed a bulldozer and a Humvee vehicle of the SDF in al-Nahdah district on Wednesday.
From its side, the SDF announced that its fighters discovered a mortar factory of ISIS in al-Nahdah district during their advance.
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Opposition sources claimed that the US-led coalition conducted over 90 airstrikes against ISIS in Raqqa city in the last 48 hours.
Meanwhile, in the southern al-Hasakah countryside, the SDF announced that it repelled an attack of ISIS on Juwayf village near Markada town. SDF fighters destroyed a VBIED of ISIS during the clashes.
The SDF also said that clashes are still on going in al-Kasrah town in the northwestern Deir Ezzor countryside, and around al-Suwar town in the northern Deir Ezzor countryside.
The SDF is now focusing on Deir Ezzor governorate more than Raqqa city. Previously, Kurdish sources confirmed that the SDF even redeployed many units from Raqqa city to Deir Ezzor governorate fronts against ISIS.
It has been 4 months since the battle for Raqqa city started. So much for “SDF” will take Raqqa in few weeks . “SDF” is not so strong as some people claim . They have 2 advantages – the American airstrikes which are a lot and depleted manpower of ISIS . And despite that the battle is still ongoing
SDF and SAA have many paralells.
Insufficient military, lacking a proper airforce. Oh, Syria more or less has one, but still depends on RuAF.
The SDF is good in the open field but I never bought that they were going to take Raqqa in weeks because urban warfare is a different animal. They have ISIS bottled up in Raqqa so they are doing a land grab in other places which makes good strategic sense but is cruel for the civilians trapped with ISIS in Raqqa.
Oh but why isn’t the western MSM lamenting the deprivation of civilians still trapped in Raqqa and asking why the SDF isn’t trying to finish off the battle for their sake? [rhetorical question, we don’t have an MSM in the west, just govt shills]
After becoming battle hardened slaying daeshbags, SDF should be a piece of cake if SAA has to tangle with them lol
american-paid isis beats american-paid kurds :-O
And SAA paid IS beat Russian paid SAA ? Oh, I forgot. Most of them aren’t even SAA, they are Iranians, Hezbollah, Afghans, PMU and more lowlives. All paid for by …. not Syria as it has no money.
You are exchanging the Syrian Army with the US/Zio/Nazi foreign mercenary terror squads conveniently called Syrian opposition. ISIS are part of that Western Zio/Nazi foreign colonial imperialist coalition made up of US/Zionist/NATO/SDF/FSA/Gulf States and ISIS who are their storm troopers leading the charge. 80% of the so called opposition fighters are foreign. 80% of the Syrian government forces are Syrian. 20% are made up of Hezbollah, the Palestinian Liberation Army, and 300 Iraqis and chechen volunteers.
US is the one creates Isis and pay them in the name of good terrorists.
Makes me wonder where they get their supply of weapons / ammo / fresh fighters from. Or maybe it’s just a show put on by powers who want to keep the fight going? But then again, East Ghouta, that tiny green spot near Damascus, is just as hard a nut to crack …
Massive Tunnels supplying manpower and weapons the area is extremely riddled with these all over the place.
Today SDF related twitteravvounts report advances in Raqqah in Al Andalus, Al Nahdah and near the trainstation. No mention at all of a counterattack, on any source, yesterday.
IS counterattack either fake news of a small attack already beaten.
Reports today of SDF battling to take the stadium. Isis counterattack appears to have been just more of the daily ebb & flow in Raqqa. Isis always counterattacks.
Source? Fake news
That’s what you get when transfering all your units to land grabbing!
there are not a REAL WAR in raqqa… both of them are in the USA LİNE. and they will be the biggest loser in this war. wait for it.
So……, did the SDF now also miss a few sleeper cells?
The dynamic seems to be changing.
I do not see any counter-attack. I see some guys having a party and some collections of weapons, that’s all. Maybe SDF’s have a nightmare last night and dreamed that they were attack by their friends ISIS.
Smoke and mirrors
“The ISIS-linked news agency Amaq claimed that ISIS captured 2 fighters of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in al-Nahdah district in the center of Raqqa city. ”
hello Billy Bob and Chuck, we need to pretend to fight, so that we can airlift you out.
This is a distraction for the SAA, let it be and as there are just a few citizens remaining, I would use Father of all bombs and flatten it.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3ILMNFw7FI