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Scores of ISIS troops surrender in Raqqa
[ARA News] Aleppo – The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday captured a number of ISIS militants after clashes in western Raqqa Governorate, military sources and activists reported.

At least four Islamic State’s (ISIS) jihadist fighters were taken captive by the SDF in the western suburb of Raqqa.

“They were captured in the evening on Tuesday while trying to infiltrate into the recently liberated Jaabar town to carry out suicide bombings,” a spokesman for the SDF told ARA News.

In the meantime, at least 18 ISIS fighters were killed in renewed clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in western Raqqa.

This comes amid an ongoing military campaign by the SDF, backed by an air cover from the US-led coalition, as part of the second phase of the Euphrates Wrath Operation for Raqqa. The SDF has so far captured over 1400 km² in western Raqqa within the second phase of the operation, that started on December 10. During the first phase of Euphrates Wrath, that was launched on November 6, the SDF captured roughly 560 km² of land in northern Raqqa.

The SDF launched the second phase of the Euphrates Wrath Operation with the objective of securing Raqqa’s western countryside and Tabqa Dam, which bridges the Euphrates River. The long-term objective of Euphrates Wrath is the elimination of the Islamic State in its de facto capital, Raqqa city.

Senior Islamic State commander in Syria likely killed: Monitor

[AlAhram] One of Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
's top commanders in Syria was probably killed in combat as the Islamist bandidos hard boyz sought to stave off an advance by U.S.-backed Syrian forces towards a strategic dam in northern Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday.

The commander known as Abu Jandal al-Kuwaiti was killed as Islamic State fighters tried to drive the Syrian Democratic Forces from the village of Jabar captured from the Islamist bandidos hard boyz on Monday, Observatory Director Rami Abdulrahman said.

The Islamic State counter attack, launched overnight, failed. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, have advanced to within 5 km (3 miles) of the dam, Abdulrahman said.
Posted by: badanov 2016-12-28
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=476892