SDF Inches Closer to Completing Raqqa Siege

United States-backed forces almost completed the siege of Raqqa on Thursday, after seizing all routes south of the Euphrates leading into the city, the Associated Press reported, citing a war monitor and U.S. officials.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in the United Kingdom, said the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had made a “strategic advance” south of Raqqa, where they seized several villages across the Euphrates, moving through the Kasret al-Faraj area.

Col. Joe Scrocca, a spokesman for the U.S-led coalition, said in emails to the AP that the SDF now control all high-speed routes into Raqqa, south of the river. The Kurdish-led force would need to move toward the Euphrates from the east to complete the encirclement of the stronghold of so-called Islamic State, he said.

ISIS responded to SDF advances by carrying out a counter-attack in the city, regaining control of sections of the al-Sinaa and Mashalab neighborhoods, which were captured in the first two weeks of the offensive.

Naser Haj Mansour, a senior SDF official, told Reuters that it could be “maybe more than a month or a month and a half” before the SDF would be able to fully capture the city.

The SDF launched a highly anticipated campaign to reclaim Raqqa from ISIS earlier this month. The group’s advances have been slowed down by ISIS fortifications erected around the city.

U.S. Accused of Provocation

The Syrian government and its Russian ally accused the U.S. on Thursday of using false pretexts to justify an attack on Syria, the Associated Press reported.

Earlier this week, the White House accused Syrian president Bashar al-Assad of preparing for another chemical attack and warned he will ‘‘pay a heavy price’’ if he unleashes it.

Syria’s foreign ministry rejected the U.S. allegations as ‘‘misleading’’ and ‘‘completely baseless.’’ The objective of such allegations was to ‘‘justify a new aggression on Syria under ill-founded pretexts,’’ a statement said.

The same day, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said Moscow had received information that Syrian rebels fabricated video materials to accuse Damascus of a chemical attack.

She said that according to the information, the towns of Saraqib and Arihah could serve as venues for the ‘‘provocation.’’

Watchdog Confirms Sarin Was Used in Idlib Attack

An investigation led by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons has concluded that sarin or a sarin-like substance was used in a chemical weapons attack on Idlib last April, the Associated Press reported.

The report into the attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun that left at least 90 people dead was not publicly released, but two diplomats who saw its findings said it confirmed that sarin had been used.

“Now that we know the undeniable truth, we look forward to an independent investigation to confirm exactly who was responsible for these brutal attacks so we can find justice for the victims,” the U.S. envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said in a written statement expressing confidence in the report.

The Khan Sheikhoun incident sparked international uproar and prompted U.S. president Donald Trump to launch a cruise missile attack against a Syrian government airbase. The Syrian government has denied the attack, while its ally Russia has claimed Syrian warplanes were targeting chemical munitions in a rebel warehouse.

Recommended Reads

• The Associated Press: Syrian Family on Cusp of Resettlement Resigned to Travel Ban
• BBC: Syria war: Why the Battle for Raqqa Is Far From Won
• The Post and Courier: Restoring a Red Line in Syria
• BuzzFeed: Why Does The Syrian Government Keep Looking to Use Chemical Weapons?
• The Guardian: Syrian Doctor Hit by Trump Travel Ban Takes up Studies in Canada Instead