US-backed fighters prepare for final assault on Raqqa

 

US-backed fighters prepare for final assault on Raqqa
SDF members gather at the Tabqa dam as they advance in their battle for Daesh's stronghold in nearby Raqqa.

Tabqa (Syria) - The Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this week captured Tabqa and an adjacent dam.

By AFP

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Published: Fri 12 May 2017, 9:08 PM

Last updated: Fri 12 May 2017, 11:33 PM

US-backed fighters said on Friday they were preparing for a final assault on the Daesh group's Syrian bastion Raqqa, likely next month, after seizing a key city to the west.
The Syrian Democratic Forces earlier this week captured Tabqa and an adjacent dam, a major prize in the offensive for Raqqa, the Syrian heart of Daesh's self-proclaimed rule.
"The attack on Raqqa will take place in the beginning of the summer," Syrian Democratic Forces commander Rojda Felat said.
She later specified that it would likely start in June based on "military and tactical considerations".
Felat spoke at a press conference in Tabqa, which the SDF captured from Daesh on Wednesday along with its nearby dam in one of its most important victories yet.
Tabqa lies on the banks of the Euphrates River, about 55km west of Raqqa.
On Friday, a media team entered Tabqa and the adjacent dam - Syria's largest - and saw rows of sandbags, mangled cars and craters from heavy bombardment dotting the structure. The battle for Tabqa was marked by fears that the dam would be severely damaged and collapse, leading to massive flooding downstream.
The body of an alleged Daesh fighter was seen on Friday floating in the artificial reservoir created by the dam.


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