[OMANTRIBUNE] An alliance of US-backed militias said it had begun a new phase of its campaign against the Daish-held city of Raqqa on Saturday and aimed to complete its encirclement.The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said in a statement the action was being undertaken with "increasing support from the (US-led) international coalition forces through guaranteeing air cover for our forces’ advances, or via the help provided by their special teams to our forces on the battle ground".
The rebels, however, said they needed more weapons to win.
The SDF launched their campaign to capture the city last November and have taken some ground further up the Euphrates Valley but are still some distance away.
The SDF "announce the beginning of the third phase to liberate Raqa and its surroundings, which will target the eastern part of the province," spokeswoman Jihan Sheikh Ahmed said.
Speaking in the village of Aaliyah, north of the city, Ahmed said 750 more Arab fighters had joined the SDF after being trained by the US-led coalition.
The coalition has carried out air strikes against Daish in Syria and Iraq since 2014.