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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Kurdish forces seizes more weapons in Raqqa while ISIS cries foul play by US bombings, and more
2017-07-21
[ALMASDARNEWS] Urban warfare continues to rage through a handful of suburbs across the predominately Arab city of Raqqa with the most intense clashing currently being observed in the contested Old City and Nazal Shahada neighborhoods.

With ISIS and the Kurdish-led ’Syrian Democratic Forces’ (SDF) fighting over control of the large Euphrates River city, the Kurds not only received new armored vehicles from America but also captured a large batch of armaments from the 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....
today.

Neither side gained any substantial ground on Thursday, however.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do...
ISIS claims 70 US Arclight airstrikes have struck Raqqa over the past 48 hours while a total of 400 shells have been launched by the SDF and US Marines upon ISIS-held residential areas.

Graphic footage showing collateral damage done by the US-led coalition was released by Amaq Agency today, claiming 8 civilians to be killed and 42 more injured on Tuesday alone.

Tiger Forces advance five kilometers through ISIS-held territory in southern Raqqa

[ALMASDARNEWS] On Thursday afternoon, the Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) most elite assault troops scored another major advance en route to the 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 desert stronghold of al-Suknah.

Securing around a dozen of minor wells in the process, the Tiger Forces brushed aside all ISIS resistance on two axes of the oil-rich region, advancing five kilometers southeast and five kilometers southwest of their earlier forward positions.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the space pirate fleet to attack Zemblonia...
the SAA ‐ heavily assisted by Syrian and Russian jets ‐ destroyed a number of jihadist bases and outposts at Maadan, al-Rabiyah, Rasm Ghanem and Jableh. According to a military source debriefing al-Masdar News, these air raids took out five ISIS technicals on Thursday.

In the coming weeks, the SAA hopes to complete pincer movements that ultimately look to envelop and liberate the ISIS-held junction town of al-Suknah, thereby establishing a launching pad for an eastern thrust to relieve besieged Deir Ezzor.

15 Kurd fighters die in fighting in Raqqa

[ARA News] The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) announced on Thursday the death of 15 of its members in recent clashes with Islamic State’s (ISIS) extremists in northern Syria.

The YPG is a leading member of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“During the recent military operations against Daesh [ISIS] terrorists, fifteen of our bravest fighters have lost their lives,” the YPG leadership said in a statement on Thursday.

The Kurdish leadership identified the fighters who were killed in clashes in Raqqa city.

“They have sacrificed their lives for the sake of liberating Raqqa from the terrorists,” it said.

Supported by the US-led coalition, the YPG and other factions of the SDF are currently locked in fierce clashes with ISIS militants in Raqqa–the de facto capital of the radical group in northeastern Syria.

The YPG is also fighting against Turkey-backed Islamist groups in northwestern Syria, mainly in the Afrin district of Aleppo province.

Syrian forces capture 40 oilwells in Raqqa

[AlManar] Syria’s government forces have retaken over 40 oil rigs from ISIL terrorists in the country’s northern Raqqa province since the beginning of offensive to liberate the Takfiris’ stronghold, a representative of the Syrian oil industry said Thursday.

“Since the beginning of July, over 40 oil pumping stations have been retaken under the control of the Syrian government, all of them have been destroyed by the retreating ISIL terrorists,” Ali Ibrahim, the petroleum engineer in charge for the restoration of oil production facilities in Raqqa province, told reporters.

Since the beginning of the Syrian government forces’ offensive in early July on Raqqa, the militants have been expelled from the main oil producing areas of the province, the engineer added.

“After clearing of the ways to the oil fields off mines, the pumps will be demounted and taken to the city of Hama for reconstruction. The majority of the oil ‘spots’ will resume operation by the end of July,” Ibrahim explained.

ISIL terrorists dismantled a lot of oil rigs in Raqqa province. Particularly, around 50 facilities have been destroyed in the area of Tabqah oil field.

Syrian rebels continue assault in Raqqa

[ARA News] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Thursday continued their operations against ISIS headquarters in the city of Raqqa, in northeastern Syria.

At least 23 ISIS militants were killed by SDF fire, including a jihadist leader.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces hit ISIS strongholds in the northwestern part of Raqqa city. The heavy artillery bombardment caused massive destruction to an ISIS security centre in the area,” SDF officer Habun Osman told ARA News.

“At least 23 terrorists were killed in the shelling, among them was the head of ISIS security in the area,” the Kurdish officer said.

In the meantime, clashes broke out in the al-Kournish district south of the city after SDF fighters infiltrated into a major ISIS camp.

“The clashes are still ongoing in al-Kournish, particularly in the Shehada square,” Osman reported.

SDF sources reported the death of two of their fighters and the injury of four others in Thursday’s clashes.

This comes after the SDF launched a major operation to liberate the city of Raqqa from ISIS radicals.

Raqqa has been known as a de facto capital for the ISIS self-proclaimed Caliphate since the summer of 2014.

On June 6, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced the official start of the battle for Raqqa city.

On Friday, July 14, Army General Joseph Votel, commander of the U.S. Central Command, said that the battle for Raqqa will take months.

“A large city, an indigenous force, a well-prepared enemy. We would expect they [ISIS] are going to fight harder, and more aggressively than they are and a large part of that is going to be exploited again. So I think it is going to be a challenging fight and it will take months,” he stated.
Posted by:Fred

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