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ISIS attacks Kurd forces HQ in Raqqa
[ARA News] Raqqa – At least three Kurdish fighters of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) were killed and several others were wounded in an attack by Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants west of Raqqa, in northeastern Syria, military sources said on Thursday.“Daesh terrorists attacked one of our security offices in the Suwaydiya village west of Raqqa,” the YPG leadership said in a statement, using another acronym for ISIS. “Three of our fighters lost their lives in the offensive,” it said. The fighters were identified as Ferhad Haji [aka Brusk Kobani], Ahmed Hisen [aka Mazlum Kobani], and Bozan Mihemed [aka Zinar Kobani]. The three fighters were from the Kurdish city of Kobane participating in the battle for Raqqa. The same attack caused the injury of at least five YPG fighters. “ISIS used mortar shells and heavy machine guns during the offensive, that was aimed at impeding the progress made by the US-backed forces towards Raqqa city,” YPG officer Habun Osman told ARA News. The YPG is a leading faction within the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), that are currently in fight with ISIS in Syria’s northeastern Raqqa Governorate. The SDF, which includes allied Kurdish, Arab and Assyrian militias, concurrently announced that it has captured 2480 square kilometers, clearing 196 villages and dozens of farms and strategic hills in western Raqqa Governorate as part of the second phase of the US-backed Euphrates Wrath Operation. During the first phase of Euphrates Wrath, which began on November 6, the SDF liberated roughly 560 km² in northern Raqqa. “Thus, since the beginning of the battle for Raqqa, 3200 square kilometers have been cleared, including 236 villages,” the SDF leaders announced on Monday. 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 first phase of the operation focused on securing the banks of the Balikh River. The long-term objective of Euphrates Wrath remains the elimination of the Islamic State in its de facto capital, Raqqa city. Posted by: badanov 2017-01-20 |
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