The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), supported by the US-led coalition, are advancing inside the city of Tabqa. The SDF is now in few meters from the Al-Iza’a area and the Al-Alam cross point in the southern and western parts of Tabqa.
Meanwhile, forces of the Manbaj Military Council (MMC), one of the Arab factions of the SDF, have repelled an attack of ISIS fighters on its positions in Tabqa. MMC fighters reportedly killed two suicide bombers and captured another one.
The SDF has also foiled an ISIS attack on the village of Ayed al-Kabir southwest of Tabqa.
Separately, the SDF has captured the villages of Umm Tanak, Jarwa and Bir Jirbou in the northern Raqqa countryside. This push is a part of the fourth phase of their operation to capture Raqqa. During this operation, they managed to kill seven ISIS militants and sized their weapons.
From its side, ISIS claimed that it carried out a VBIED attack on a gathering of Kurdistan Workers’ Party forces (PKK) in Hitash village in the northern Raqqa countryside. [ISIS claims that the SDF is the PKK] Six suicide bombers attacked SDF sites in the village of Ayed al-Kabeer.
According to SDF sources, its fighters have evacuated dozens of civilians who escaped from ISIS in the northern Raqqa countryside.
SDF fighters also finished removing all ISIS IEDs and mines from the village of Kebash.
Photos of the evacuated civilians:
I wonder how democratic these “Syrian democratic forces” are. I’m sure the Americans will let them vote, but for candidates which the Americans choose. In the end it’s most likely a name given to them so the west will support them since they love the word democratic even if it has no meaning.
At least they have elections, something both IS and Islamists cannot claim.
Furthermore, there is nobody that believes that Assad”s elections are free.
So, at the worst, they are as bad as the rest in Syria and most likely, they are better.
Well if being American puppets is better…
Yes, being an american puppet is better then being an Assad puppet, an IS puppet or an islamist puppet. There are no other flavors in Sytia. Oh, I forgot. They could be a puppet of the krud loving turks.
You do realise that Al-Queda is an American puppet right? Being a puppet of the Turkish is the same is being an American puppet I would say.
They’ve been assisting the locals in setting up councils so they can manage their own affairs. Areas that are populated with Syriacs are being returned to Syrian government control.
You are phantasizing or you do not know who the Syriacs are. Syriacs mainly live around Qamishli and north east Jazira canton and there is no way those lands will be given to Assad as it is both kurdish heartland and the majority of Syriacs joined the SDF through the MSF, about four times larger then the syriac NDF Sotoro militia.
The Americans still think the SDF will liberate al Raqqa. That’s just not going to happen although they will continue to nibble around the edges where ISIS is weak.
The SDF will take Raqqa when they feel the time is right. I wouldn’t call jumping across the river to take the airbase, dam and Tabqa nibbling around the edges.
Given that the route from the North and east and west is blocked by the SDF and the south by the river in combination with the SDF, who is going to liberate Raqqah?
Assad who leaves DeZ to the mercy of IS? And where will his army be coming from and, even more important, which army?