US-backed Syrian fighters seize parts of IS ‘capital’ Raqqa

BEIRUT – The Associated Press

A U.S.-backed Syrian opposition force said on June 11 that it had captured a northwestern neighborhood of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) self-declared capital of Raqqa, making it the second district to fall into their hands in as many days after the group launched a wide offensive to gain control of the extremists’ de facto capital.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said its fighters captured the neighborhood of Romaniah after two days of fighting that left 12 ISIL gunmen dead, including a commander known as Abu Khattab al-Tunsi.

The Kurdish Democratic Party (PYD) and its armed wing, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), are the backbone of the SDF. Turkey views both groups as terrorists due to their links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). 

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said SDF fighters now control Romaniah and the eastern neighborhood of Mashlab. The fighters have also entered Raqqa’s western neighborhood of Sabahiya and the industrial district in the east.

Raqqa was among the first cities captured by ISIL, in January 2014, and has been the home of some of the group’s most prominent leaders. The battle for the city is expected to be extended and bloody, and could mark a major turning point in the war against the extremists.

ISIL has been fortifying its positions in Raqqa for months, setting up barriers and hanging sheets of cloth over main streets to provide cover from warplanes. A belt of land mines and militant checkpoints circle the city.
SDF fighters began their offensive on the city of Raqqa on June 6 under the cover of air strikes by the U.S.-led coalition.

The ISIL-linked Aamaq news agency said the city was subjected to intense air strikes and shelling by the SDF and the U.S.-led coalition releasing a video that showed wide destruction in one of the neighborhoods. The video also showed severely wounded men and children being rushed to hospitals.

In southern Syria, Jordan said its border guards had killed five suspected infiltrators approaching the kingdom’s border from Syria in a pickup truck and two motorcycles.

The military said in a statement that the incident took place near the spot where Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet.

Jordan has been on alert for possible infiltrations by ISIL extremists who seized territories in Syria and Iraq in 2014. In recent months, Jordan expressed concern that U.S.-backed offensives against ISIL could push some of the militants closer to the kingdom’s border.

The army said nine vehicles approached Jordan from Syria in the past three days and that border guards opened fire to hold them back. The army says that in the latest incident, troops fired on a pickup truck and two motorcycles, killing five.