US-backed forces in Syria launch attack to retake Raqqa from ISIS

U.S.-backed fighters in Syria have started a military campaign to recapture the city of Raqqa from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a group of Kurdish and Arab fighters, said they launched an attack in the de facto capital of ISIS on Monday at dawn, Reuters reported.

SDF spokesman Talal Silo told the news wire Tuesday that the fighting will be “fierce because [the Islamic State] will die to defend their so-called capital”.

{mosads}Raqqa, a city in northeastern Syria, has been an ISIS stronghold since it was captured in January 2014. The terror group had declared a caliphate across Syria and Iraq.

“After we have completed the stages of encircling of Raqqa from three sides — north, east and west — today we are facing a historic moment that the whole world and all peace-loving people have waited for, which is to declare the beginning of (the) campaign to liberate the city of Raqqa and destroy the so-called capital of ISIS,” an SDF spokesperson said, CNN reported.

The Raqqa operation is adding pressure on the radical jihadists in the area, who have been losing ground in Iraq and Syria. The SDF also is reportedly close to retaking Mosul, a city in Iraq.

The SDF began its efforts to take Raqqa in November 2016 by seizing control of areas surrounding the city.

Silo told Reuters that the coalition of fighters “has a big role in the success of the operations.”

A spokesman for an Arab group within the SDF, Mohammed al-Shaker, told Reuters that although their efforts in Raqqa would be “long and difficult,” their success would be a “decisive blow to the idea of ISIS as a physical caliphate.”

The operation comes after ISIS claimed responsibility for two recent, deadly attacks in the United Kingdom that left dozens dead and many more injured.

President Trump signed an executive order in January calling for military leaders to come up with a plan to defeat ISIS in 30 days. 

– Updated: 10:51 a.m.