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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Coalition general says SDF forces to take Raqqa from ISIS, not Turkey |
| 2017-02-17 |
| [ARA] Major General Rupert Jones, UK deputy commander of the Coalition forces against ISIS, said that most likely the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will take Raqqa, and not the ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... -led groups that are currently fighting in al-Bab. "The force that looks most likely capable to conduct the liberation of Raqqa remains the SDF. Are we confident in the SDF? Absolutely we are. We’ve seen their fighting spirit, we’ve seen what they’re capable of doing. They re-took Manbij, a very tough fight, and they prevailed in the face of a tough opposition," Jones said. "We’ve also always said that we would discuss with our partners in terms of who is best placed to conduct the actual liberation of Raqqa. We’ll do that, we’ll have those conversations," he added. The Turkish president Erdogan last week said that after al-Bab, the Turkey-led Euphrates Shield Operation will target SDF-held Manbij and Raqqa. "We shared our thoughts with the new US administration and CIA and we will follow the developments in line with our stance," he said. Moreover, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak on 10 February reported that the Turks would attack the SDF-held town of Tel Abyad not of Raqqa, and also advance from the side of al-Bab," in case if Turkey and allied rebels move forward with their Raqqa operation plan. On Friday, the US chief of staff Gen. Joe Dunford arrives in Turkey to discuss the Raqqa operation with Turkish officials, Rooters reported. |
| Posted by:Fred |