SDF Announces Final Stage of Raqqa Battle

U.S.-backed forces in Syria launched their final push against the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Raqqa on Sunday after hundreds of militants surrendered to the group, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement that the “final phase” of the battle will drive the few hundred ISIS fighters that remain in Raqqa from their positions inside the city.

The announcement came after more than 3,000 civilians left the city Saturday night under an evacuation deal negotiated between local officials from the Raqqa Civil Council and ISIS fighters.

Some 275 Syrian ISIS fighters and their families were also evacuated as part of the deal but the group’s foreign fighters have been excluded from the evacuation agreement.

SDF spokesman Talal Sello told AFP that 250–300 foreign ISIS fighters are still in the city along with their families.

Citing Omar Alloush, a senior member of the Raqqa Civil Council, the Associated Press said on Sunday that the Syrian ISIS fighters who had surrendered to the SDF have been detained and are being interrogated to determine who should be referred to legal authorities.

The AP also cited the activist-run Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently network as saying that the SDF took the detainees to Hawi al-Hawa prison west of Raqqa, which is reportedly being run by the intelligence arm of the SDF.

The SDF has been battling ISIS in Raqqa since June.

Pro-Government Forces Capture ISIS Bastion in East Syria

Russian and Syrian government forces said on Saturday that they have recaptured the eastern city of al-Mayadeen – one of the last major ISIS strongholds in Syria.

Citing Russia’s defense ministry, the AP said that Syrian troops have fully freed the city in Deir Ezzor province from ISIS militants. An unidentified military source confirmed the advance to Reuters, saying that ISIS militants had suffered a “collapse” in their ranks.

If the reports of the capture of al-Mayadeen are verified, the loss of the city would be a big blow to the militant group, which is rapidly losing territory across Syria. The ISIS command structure is believed to be based in the city, which is on the Euphrates River, near the border with Iraq.

An unidentified Syrian military official told Syria’s al-Ikhbariya TV that troops are now making security sweeps to clear the area of remaining pockets of fighters and to clear landmines left by ISIS in the town, the AP said.

Turkey Expands Presence in Northern Syria

The Turkish army continued to expand its military presence in northwest Syria over the weekend, as the Syrian government demanded the pullout of Turkish troops, Reuters reported.

Turkish troops first deployed in Idlib on Thursday. At least four convoys of armored vehicles entered Syria near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with the goal of encircling a Kurdish enclave and enforcing a so-called de-escalation zone agreement in the militant-held province of Idlib.

Citing a Free Syrian Army military adviser, Reuters said that around 200 Turkish troops are now stationed in areas that separate Kurdish-held and opposition-held territory in northwestern Syria.

On Saturday, a new batch of Turkish troops and armored vehicles arrived on the Turkish side of the Syria border ahead of the second phase of deployment, Reuters said. Citing unidentified witnesses, Reuters added that Turkish bulldozers were working “around the clock,” setting up observation posts and digging fortifications.

The Syrian government on Saturday demanded the pullout of Turkish troops who had entered Syria.

“Syria condemns in the strongest terms the incursion of units of the Turkish army in Idlib province, which constitutes a flagrant aggression against the sovereignty and security of Syrian territory,” the statement said.

Recommended Reads

• Agence France-Presse: To Beat I.S., Syria Force Goes Back to Basics
• Reuters: Syrian Town Struggles to Cope Alone After Key Victory Over Islamic State
• Al Jazeera: Can Turkey’s Campaign in Syria’s Idlib Bring Peace?
• The New York Times: How a Seed Bank, Almost Lost in Syria’s War, Could Help Feed a Warming Planet
• Reuters: Factbox – Battle for Raqqa, Islamic State’s Syrian H.Q. Near End