(Zaman Al Wasl)- US-backed Kurdish fighters backed by US airstrikes on Monday seized control of an oil field and 8 villages from the Islamic State in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa provinces, activists said Tuesday.
Ahmed al-Ali, Hasaka-based activist, said SDF took al-Jweif oil well from ISIS in al-Ruweished region, located between Deir Ezzor and Hasaka.
8 more villages in the northern countryside of Raqqa were also captured by SDF, according to activists on Monday.
The YPG-led alliance of Kurds and Arabs has been on the offensive toward the city of Raqqa since November. Still, once they approach the city the battle is expected to be bloody and long since the extremists have set up fortifications and have thousands of battle-hardened fighters.
Activists have also reported death of ten civilians in the US airstrikes on Raqqa.
ISIS has been fortifying its self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. More shields have been installed, landmines have been planted and suicide bomber are ready to defend Raqqa, according to pro-ISIS social media accounts and local monitoring group.
Mohamed Saleh, spokesman for Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently campaign,, said ISIS fighters have dug trenches around the city and in tiny territory its controls in the northern countryside.
ISIS is aware of the imminent war inside the city, so many steps had been taken by the radical group in prepare for guerrilla war.
SDF fighters now control most of the villages and towns north of Raqqa and are gaining ground in eastern areas. The loss of Raqqa would be a major blow to the extremists since it was one of the first cities they fully controlled before declaring a caliphate in June 2014 in large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Ahmed al-Ali, Hasaka-based activist, said SDF took al-Jweif oil well from ISIS in al-Ruweished region, located between Deir Ezzor and Hasaka.
8 more villages in the northern countryside of Raqqa were also captured by SDF, according to activists on Monday.
The YPG-led alliance of Kurds and Arabs has been on the offensive toward the city of Raqqa since November. Still, once they approach the city the battle is expected to be bloody and long since the extremists have set up fortifications and have thousands of battle-hardened fighters.
Activists have also reported death of ten civilians in the US airstrikes on Raqqa.
ISIS has been fortifying its self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa. More shields have been installed, landmines have been planted and suicide bomber are ready to defend Raqqa, according to pro-ISIS social media accounts and local monitoring group.
Mohamed Saleh, spokesman for Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently campaign,, said ISIS fighters have dug trenches around the city and in tiny territory its controls in the northern countryside.
ISIS is aware of the imminent war inside the city, so many steps had been taken by the radical group in prepare for guerrilla war.
SDF fighters now control most of the villages and towns north of Raqqa and are gaining ground in eastern areas. The loss of Raqqa would be a major blow to the extremists since it was one of the first cities they fully controlled before declaring a caliphate in June 2014 in large parts of Syria and Iraq.
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.