SDF Inches Closer to Raqqa

U.S.-backed forces are roughly 3km (2 miles) away from Raqqa city, the former de facto capital of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, according to the United Kingdom-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The latest push by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab forces backed by the U.S., on the northern edges of Raqqa follows two days of intense clashes with ISIS militants in the area.

SDF fighters managed to capture water and gas facilities in Raqqa’s northern countryside during the latest offensive, inching closer to a nearby ISIS-held base known as Division 17.

The Kurdish-led group has been marching toward Raqqa since November 2016 with support from U.S.-led coalition airstrikes.

Airstrikes, believed to have been carried out by U.S.-led coalition forces, targeted positions south of Raqqa over the weekend, killing 18 people.

U.S. Sends Weapons Shipment to Syrian Kurds

The U.S. said Tuesday that it has started to supply weapons to Kurdish forces advancing on ISIS territory in Raqqa, the Associated Press reported.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said that small arms and ammunition were part of Tuesday’s weapons delivery. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian Rankine-Galloway said that small vehicles were also distributed, according to Reuters.

U.S. officials have said that weapon deliveries will include rifles, ammunition, mortars, anti-tank weapons, engineering equipment and light armored vehicles, but will exclude anti-aircraft systems and heavy artillery.

Earlier this month, Donald Trump authorized the Department of Defense to supply arms to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) despite concerns from NATO ally Turkey, which considers Kurdish fighters in Syria to be terrorists.

Washington believes that YPG fighters are the only force currently qualified to recapture Raqqa from ISIS. Kurdish groups working with the SDF have already achieved success in reclaiming the nearby town of Tabqa, a strategic victory that includes control of a major dam and leaves them well-positioned for the Raqqa offensive.

U.S. Aiding Syrian Rebels Against Iran Threat

The U.S. is supplying affiliated rebel groups in southern Syria with more weapons and support, in light of a new push by Iranian proxies toward their area of operations, Reuters reported.

A senior commander of Pentagon-backed group Maghawir al-Thawra told Reuters that the group had been receiving an increased number of weapons since pro-government forces with Iranian-backed support began deploying around their base near the Iraqi border.

“The equipment and reinforcements come and go daily … but in the last few weeks they have brought in more heavy military vehicles, TOW (missiles) and armored vehicles,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Earlier this month, coalition fighter planes struck a convoy of Iranian-backed fighters near the southern Syrian town of al-Tanf while it was advancing inside a protected “deconfliction zone” – a move that U.S. officials have claimed was a defensive measure to protect their forces at Tanf air base.

Recommended Reads

• The Washington Post: Syria’s Bloodiest Battle Is Yet to Come — And 1 million Civilians Are at Risk
• Bloomberg: If Trump Wants to Fight Iran, He’ll Soon Get the Chance in Syria
• The Intercept: The U.S. Has Ramped Up Airstrikes Against ISIS in Raqqa, And Syrian Civilians Are Paying the Price
• The American Conservative: The Problem With Taking Sides in Syria
• IRIN: The Complex Battle for Control in Eastern Syria