Syrian Kurds start campaign to recapture city of Raqqa from 'Islamic State'

[spectacular]

Commanders from the SDF forces warned civilians to leave militant-occupied areas

Commanders of Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) said the goal of the operation, called Angry Euphrates, would be liberating Raqa from the militants.

The Syrian YPG Kurdish force is one of the most powerful militias in Syria and regarded as the backbone of SDF, a US-backed alliance formed last year to fight Islamic State.

"The major battle to liberate Raqa and its surroundings has begun," Jihan Sheikh Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the SDF said.

He added some 30,000 fighters would be involved in the operation.

Dozens of armed SDF fighters have been seen heading towards the frontline in vehicles.

Another SDF spokesman, Talal Sello, said the operation would proceed in two phases, first seizing areas around Raqa and isolating the city, then "taking control of the city" itself.

The long-awaited operation comes two years after IS seized control of large parts of Syria and Iraq and declared its cross-border "caliphate".

The jihadists have suffered major territorial defeats in recent months and are under pressure on multiple fronts.

Retaking Mosul and Raqa would deprive IS of its largest population centres and make a mockery of the group's claim to a self-declared "state".

But capturing the two cities - both still home to large civilian populations - is expected to be a lengthy and bloody process.

The alliance has received new weapons from the coalition for the Raqa battle, including anti-tank missiles.

Shortly after visiting Iraq last month to check on the Mosul offensive, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said that an assault on Raqa would take place "within weeks".

During five years of civil war, Syria has been fragmented into various fiefdoms with President Bashar al-Assad's regime, IS and a range of opposition forces all holding territory.

More follows...

http://news.sky.com/story/raqa-liber...orces-10647462

[magyar_lány]

[crazyladybutterfly]

i would love to join the kurds so badly , but i cant

[adsız]

Where are The Arabs? Raqqa belongs to Arab Nation. They will just watch their land being stolen by PKK/PYD terrorists?
Fucking camel fuckers..!

[spectacular]

Where are The Arabs? Raqqa belongs to Arab Nation. They will just watch their land being stolen by PKK/PYD terrorists?
Fucking camel fuckers..!

calm down! you should not worry about the operation because that operation is to ISIS, not to steppe mongols.
also seems like you worried to future of IS!

[crazyladybutterfly]

Where are The Arabs? Raqqa belongs to Arab Nation. They will just watch their land being stolen by PKK/PYD terrorists?
Fucking camel fuckers..!

it's better to go in the hands of kurds than in the hands of isis. at least kurds don't rape 9 years olds and dont murder you for not fitting in the crazy isis ideology. the "arabs" should be thankful

[gültekin]

it's better to go in the hands of kurds than in the hands of isis. at least kurds don't rape 9 years olds and dont murder you for not fitting in the crazy isis ideology. the "arabs" should be thankful

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...-cutting-video
A prosecution into the murder of a 15-year-old girl in Batman two years ago has revealed that she was murdered by her uncles after being raped by her cousins.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/15-...&NewsCatID=509

The body of the girl, identified as Hasret, was found two years ago at a sand quarry near Batman Brook. After leaving her husband, she was raped and killed by her two cousins on the decision of a family council after she got pregnant, daily Sabah reported.

Hasret’s 12 relatives, including her grandfather, grandmother, three uncles, three aunts-in-law and two cousins, are being tried in her murder case. They face life imprisonment for “instigating and murdering a pregnant woman on grounds of tribal motives.”

The suspects have reportedly placed blame on each other in the latest hearing, denying that the woman was killed by a decision agreed upon by family members.

“My cousin Garip told me that his son Serhıldan and my son Özcan raped Hasret and got her pregnant. He told me that the baby should be aborted, as the father was uncertain. Hasret, Garip and I went to the Batman Brook. I was drunk. I don’t remember the rest. But no one directed me to go there. The family council did not make a decision [to kill her],” said Habip Daşlı, who is accused of strangling the woman.

Serhıldan Daşlı, who was identified as the father of the baby via a DNA test, denied that he raped Hasret.

“I had intercourse with [Hasret] on her will. I did not rape her. I did not know she was murdered,” he said.

During the hearing the other suspect, Özcan Daşlı, also denied raping Hasret.

Hasret’s mother said that Garip Daşlı took Hasret from her home after saying he would take her to the doctor. She only pressed charges against Serhıldan Daşlı.

“My daughter told me that Özcan and Serhıldan Daşlı raped her on different dates, but she did not know the father of the baby. We were planning to leave the baby to an orphans’ home after it was born, without the men of the family noticing. But the situation was heard,” she said.

Intervening lawyers from the Family and Social Policies Ministry said Hasret’s mother could not testify against all family members; she has been under pressure as a widow who needs the family’s support to live, they said.

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this is a very good example in this case. one of this rapists name is Serxildan, means rebellion/revolt in Kurdish and is used by Kurdish leftists/nationalists or pkk/pyd-supporters

[adsız]

You, I, and everyone else who has a little brain know that the real aim of PYD/PKK/YPG whatever is not fighting ISIS but grab/steal land from Arabs by the help of their masters.

This is before Gulf war 1991/ISIS created:



March, 2016:



ISIS is just a nice tool of the west to hide real aims of the colonial powers.

I just wonder how Arabs can be this much insensitive while their land is under attack.

I think they just understood what a brave man Saddam Husein was.

[meisje]

calm down! you should not worry about the operation because that operation is to ISIS, not to steppe mongols.
also seems like you worried to future of IS!

Coalition air support is coming from İncirlik air base to you,Kiro ,Brave Kiros with fully USA armament

[Poise n Pen]

#Raqqa?

I thought this was a twitter campaign from the title.