US-backed Syrian forces have advanced into opposite sides of Islamic State&#39;s so-called Syrian capital of Raqqa, the forces and a war monitor said on Saturday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a US-led coalition, began to attack Raqqa on Tuesday after a months-long campaign to cut it off.

The US-led coalition estimates that Raqqa, which Islamic State seized from Syrian rebels in 2014 during their lightning advance in Syria and Iraq, is defended by 3,000-4,000 jihadists.

It has been a hub both for Islamic State&#39;s military leaders and its bureaucrats, and has been used to plot attacks in countries around the world.

The SDF said it had seized al-Mishlab district in the far east of Raqqa on Friday and al-Sabahia district in the west. The war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the SDF had taken Mishlab and more than half of Sabahia.

The forces are now advancing into al-Romania district in northwest Raqqa, the SDF and the Observatory said. Islamic State had turned back an earlier SDF assault on a military base on the north side, the Observatory said.

Islamic State still has a long sweep of territory along Syria&#39;s Euphrates valley and wide stretches of desert, despite recent losses to the SDF, the Syrian army and rebel groups.

To the west of Raqqa, the Syrian army and its allies have advanced into Islamic State territory and on Friday reached SDF lines near the town of Tabqa, 40km (25 miles) from the city.&nbsp;

The Syrian government has described the SDF&#39;s war against Islamic State as &quot;legitimate&quot; and said its military priorities are further east, suggesting it does not plan to confront the group now.

(Reuters)

The Syrian Democratic Forces launched their mission to retake Raqqa on Tuesday

US-backed Syrian forces have advanced into opposite sides of Islamic State's so-called Syrian capital of Raqqa, the forces and a war monitor said on Saturday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab militias supported by a US-led coalition, began to attack Raqqa on Tuesday after a months-long campaign to cut it off. The US-led coalition estimates that Raqqa, which Islamic State seized from Syrian rebels in 2014 during their lightning advance in Syria and Iraq, is defended by 3,000-4,000 jihadists. It has been a hub both for Islamic State's military leaders and its bureaucrats, and has been used to plot attacks in countries around the world. The SDF said it had seized al-Mishlab district in the far east of Raqqa on Friday and al-Sabahia district in the west. The war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the SDF had taken Mishlab and more than half of Sabahia. The forces are now advancing into al-Romania district in northwest Raqqa, the SDF and the Observatory said. Islamic State had turned back an earlier SDF assault on a military base on the north side, the Observatory said. Islamic State still has a long sweep of territory along Syria's Euphrates valley and wide stretches of desert, despite recent losses to the SDF, the Syrian army and rebel groups. To the west of Raqqa, the Syrian army and its allies have advanced into Islamic State territory and on Friday reached SDF lines near the town of Tabqa, 40km (25 miles) from the city. The Syrian government has described the SDF's war against Islamic State as "legitimate" and said its military priorities are further east, suggesting it does not plan to confront the group now. (Reuters)

US-aided Syrian forces make advances in IS-held Raqqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have seized 350 square km (135 square miles) in the past week, tightening &quot;their noose&quot; on Islamic State in an advance to isolate its base of operations at Raqqa, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said on Wednesday.

Some 3,000 to 4,000 Islamic State fighters are thought to be holed up in Raqqa city where they continue to erect defences against the anticipated assault, drawing coalition air strikes to stop them, Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, told Reuters in a phone interview from Baghdad.

The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, has been encircling Raqqa since November in a multi-phased offensive backed by the US-led coalition that is also fighting Islamic State in Iraq. Last week, the SDF accomplished a major goal by capturing Tabqa some 50 km (30 miles) west of Raqqa.

&quot;In the last week, the SDF have tightened their noose around ISIS in the northern and eastern and western part of Raqqa,&quot; Dillon said. SDF fighters had drawn as near as 4 km (2.5 miles) to Raqqa at their closest point to the city.

&quot;They have taken almost 350 sq kilometres of ground from ISIS, so they continue to just encroach and ... tighten, and tighten and tighten that isolation ring, quite frankly largely uncontested,&quot; he said.

The SDF, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, said last week it expects to launch the final assault on Raqqa city in early summer. YPG and SDF officials had previously given April start dates for the assault, but these slipped as the battle for Tabqa went on.

Asked about the timeframe, Dillon said: &quot;We do not try to stick to a timeline.

&quot;There&#39;s a principle of war called surprise and we want achieve that and we want our partner force to achieve that when they do decide it is the right time and place or places ... to start their assault.&quot;

Defences being erected by Islamic State include earthen berms, some of them designed to hold large pools of water. In some cases, these had collapsed, causing flooding in Raqqa city.

While the coalition already has armed Arab fighters in the SDF, the White House last week authorized supplying weapons for the YPG, to help in the Raqqa assault.

Dillon said there had been no deliveries and no specifics on the types of weapons and equipment the SDF will receive.

Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers&#39; Party (PKK) that has fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and rights inside Turkey.

(Reuters)

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have seized 350 square km (135 square miles) in the past week

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have seized 350 square km (135 square miles) in the past week, tightening "their noose" on Islamic State in an advance to isolate its base of operations at Raqqa, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said on Wednesday. Some 3,000 to 4,000 Islamic State fighters are thought to be holed up in Raqqa city where they continue to erect defences against the anticipated assault, drawing coalition air strikes to stop them, Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the US-led coalition, told Reuters in a phone interview from Baghdad. The SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, has been encircling Raqqa since November in a multi-phased offensive backed by the US-led coalition that is also fighting Islamic State in Iraq. Last week, the SDF accomplished a major goal by capturing Tabqa some 50 km (30 miles) west of Raqqa. "In the last week, the SDF have tightened their noose around ISIS in the northern and eastern and western part of Raqqa," Dillon said. SDF fighters had drawn as near as 4 km (2.5 miles) to Raqqa at their closest point to the city. "They have taken almost 350 sq kilometres of ground from ISIS, so they continue to just encroach and ... tighten, and tighten and tighten that isolation ring, quite frankly largely uncontested," he said. The SDF, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, said last week it expects to launch the final assault on Raqqa city in early summer. YPG and SDF officials had previously given April start dates for the assault, but these slipped as the battle for Tabqa went on. Asked about the timeframe, Dillon said: "We do not try to stick to a timeline. "There's a principle of war called surprise and we want achieve that and we want our partner force to achieve that when they do decide it is the right time and place or places ... to start their assault." Defences being erected by Islamic State include earthen berms, some of them designed to hold large pools of water. In some cases, these had collapsed, causing flooding in Raqqa city. While the coalition already has armed Arab fighters in the SDF, the White House last week authorized supplying weapons for the YPG, to help in the Raqqa assault. Dillon said there had been no deliveries and no specifics on the types of weapons and equipment the SDF will receive. Turkey sees the YPG as an extension of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) that has fought a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and rights inside Turkey. (Reuters)

Syrian force 'tightens noose' on Islamic State in Raqqa: US-led coalition

Islamic State militants have set off five car bombs targeting US-backed Syrian armed groups attacking Raqqa, a Kurdish source said on Monday, saying the fight to drive IS from its stronghold city would &quot;not be easy&quot;.

The operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the Kurdish YPG militia, that began on Saturday aims to encircle and ultimately capture Raqqa, adding to the pressure on IS as it faces a major assault in Iraq.

Islamic State has also drawn heavily on suicide car bombs in its efforts to fend off the assault on Mosul by Iraqi forces.

The Kurdish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US-led coalition was providing &quot;excellent&quot; air support for the operation dubbed &quot;Euphrates Anger&quot;.

&quot;It is difficult to ... put a time frame on the operation at present. The battle will not be easy,&quot; the source said.

The attack so far appears focused on areas north of Raqqa near the town of Ain Issa, 50 km (30 miles) away. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation that reports on the war, said the SDF forces had so far captured a number of IS positions, but there had been &quot;no real progress&quot;.

The Kurdish source said a number of villages had been captured. &quot;Daesh is resorting to attacks with car bombs to a great degree,&quot; the source said.

The SDF has been the main partner on the ground in Syria for the US-led coalition against Islamic State, capturing swathes of northern Syria with coalition air support.

Planning for the Raqqa assault has been complicated by factors including the concerns of neighbouring Turkey, which does not want to see any further expansion of Kurdish influence in northern Syria.

Additionally, Raqqa is a predominantly Arab city, and Syrian Kurdish officials have previously said it should be freed from IS by Syrian Arab groups, not the Kurdish YPG.

A US&nbsp;official told Reuters in Washington there was &quot;no available force capable of taking Raqqa in the near future&quot;, and US&nbsp;officials cautioned the process of sealing off and isolating the city could take two months or longer.

(Reuters)

Islamic State hit back with five such attacks on Monday to thwart the Syrian forces' bid to liberate Raqqa

Islamic State militants have set off five car bombs targeting US-backed Syrian armed groups attacking Raqqa, a Kurdish source said on Monday, saying the fight to drive IS from its stronghold city would "not be easy". The operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the Kurdish YPG militia, that began on Saturday aims to encircle and ultimately capture Raqqa, adding to the pressure on IS as it faces a major assault in Iraq. Islamic State has also drawn heavily on suicide car bombs in its efforts to fend off the assault on Mosul by Iraqi forces. The Kurdish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US-led coalition was providing "excellent" air support for the operation dubbed "Euphrates Anger". "It is difficult to ... put a time frame on the operation at present. The battle will not be easy," the source said. The attack so far appears focused on areas north of Raqqa near the town of Ain Issa, 50 km (30 miles) away. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an organisation that reports on the war, said the SDF forces had so far captured a number of IS positions, but there had been "no real progress". The Kurdish source said a number of villages had been captured. "Daesh is resorting to attacks with car bombs to a great degree," the source said. The SDF has been the main partner on the ground in Syria for the US-led coalition against Islamic State, capturing swathes of northern Syria with coalition air support. Planning for the Raqqa assault has been complicated by factors including the concerns of neighbouring Turkey, which does not want to see any further expansion of Kurdish influence in northern Syria. Additionally, Raqqa is a predominantly Arab city, and Syrian Kurdish officials have previously said it should be freed from IS by Syrian Arab groups, not the Kurdish YPG. A US official told Reuters in Washington there was "no available force capable of taking Raqqa in the near future", and US officials cautioned the process of sealing off and isolating the city could take two months or longer. (Reuters)

Raqqa offensive: IS detonate car bombs to fend off US-allied Syrian forces