Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
U.S.-tied force gaining in Syria
Second ISIS area in Raqqa falls
BEIRUT — A U.S.-backed Syrian opposition force said Sunday that it has captured a northwestern neighborhood of the Islamic State group’s self-declared capital of Raqqa, the second district to fall in its hands in the days after the group began a wide offensive to gain control of the region.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces said its fighters captured the neighborhood of Romaniah after two days of fighting that left 12 Islamic State gunmen dead, including a commander known as Abu Khattab al-Tunsi.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian Democratic Forces fighters now control Romaniah and the eastern neighborhood of Mashlab. The fighters have also entered Raqqa’s western neighborhood of Sabahiya and the industrial district in the east.
Raqqa was among the first cities captured by the Islamic State group, in January 2014, and has been the home of some of the group’s most prominent leaders. The battle for the city is expected to be extended and bloody, and could mark a major turning point in the war against the extremists.
The Islamic State has been fortifying its positions in Raqqa for months, setting up barriers and hanging sheets of cloth over main streets to provide cover from warplanes. A belt of land mines and militant checkpoints circle the city.
Syrian Democratic Forces fighters began their offensive on Raqqa Tuesday under the cover of airstrikes by the U.S.led coalition.
The Islamic State-linked Aamaq news agency said the city was subjected to intense airstrikes and shelling by the Syrian Democratic Forces and the U.S.-led coalition, releasing a video that showed wide destruction in one of the neighborhoods. The video also showed severely wounded men and children being rushed to hospitals.
In southern Syria, Jordan said its border guards have killed five suspected infiltrators approaching the kingdom’s border from Syria in a pickup and two motorcycles.
The military said in a statement that the incident took place near the spot where Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet.
Jordan has been on alert for possible infiltration by Islamic State extremists who seized territories in Syria and Iraq in 2014. In recent months, Jordan expressed concern that U.S.backed offensives against the Islamic State will push some of the militants closer to the kingdom’s border.