Click to see the full-size image
On Friday, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) recaptured the village of Rafi from ISIS terrorists in the northern Raqqa countryside. On Thursday, the SDF captured the village of Khirbet Khan north of the headquarters of the 17th Division. These advances put the SDF in few kilometers away from the northern entrance of Raqqa.
From its side, ISIS claimed that 104 “PKK militants” (Kurdish fighters) were killed as a result attacks by ISIS militants in the vicinity of Karama and Al-Jadidat in the eastern Raqqa countryside and in the village of Al-Ajzawi in the western Raqqa countryside.
Click to see the full-size image
ISIS targeted a gathering of Kurdish fighters in the village of Ruyan with a Konkurs missile.
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
ISIS attacked positions of the Kurdish fighters in the village of Qadisiyah with mortars.
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Meanwhile, the SDF repelled an ISIS attack on the villages of Ayed Kabir and Musheirefah southwest of Tabqa, killing 26 ISIS militants and destroying 3 vehicles.
On Friday, the SDF announced that it will hand over the town of Tabqa to a local civilian council after the removal of the weapons, mines and IEDs left behind by ISIS militants.
Click to see the full-size image
The SDF confirmed that the Tabqa Dam would also be handed over to a civilian committee and it will benefit all Syrian areas what so ever.
Go SDF Go USA fuck Assad and Poopin.
So the kurds take tabqa, but have no soldiers to spare in occupying tabqa. That means they have no ability to claim tabqa as part of their rojava.
The local council is code for a new militia that will have us protection to keep assad out. The fighters will need training fast if they do not want to collapse at the first confrontation with SAA.
Local coucil is for a civilian administration.
There will be, or rather there already is, a Raqqah Military council.
This will consist of kurds and arabs and will be SDF (YPG) trained. A security (police) force is already being trained.
There will be a close cooperation between the SDF and the RMC, such as already existing between SDF and MMC, who participated in the liberation of Tabqah.
At the moment SAA is some 50 kms from Tabqah and it remains to be seen what time it will take them to advance that distance.
During that time, SDF will be digging in in Tabqah and fortifying it.