Kurdish-Arab alliance launch operations north of Raqa

Washington (AFP) – A US-backed alliance of Kurdish-Arab fighters has started to clear Islamic State fighters from the area north of Raqa, the jihadists’ de facto capital, a US official confirmed Tuesday.

“The SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) have begun operations to clear the northern countryside, so this is putting pressure on Raqa,” Baghdad-based US military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said.

The US military will conduct air strikes in support of the SDF forces, some of whom have been trained and equipped by the United States. It was not clear when an assault on Raqa itself might come.