An ivory-coloured rosary swings from the rearview mirror of Abboud Seryan’s pickup truck as he speeds through Syria’s Raqa, inspecting the positions of fellow Christian fighters taking on the Islamic State group. Lively music blasts through the car speakers while the thin 23-year-old, wearing a military-style cap and a revolver tucked into his waist, waves … Read more
US-backed Syrian fighters captured their first western district of the Islamic State group’s bastion Raqa on Sunday, days after seizing an eastern neighbourhood from the jihadists. A statement by the Syrian Democratic Forces said their fighters “liberated the neighbourhood of Al-Romaniya on the western front of Raqa, after two days of continued clashes.” It said … Read more
A US-backed alliance broke into the western part of the Islamic State group’s stronghold Raqa on Saturday, the force and a monitor said, opening up a second front inside the Syrian city. Backed by US-led coalition air strikes, the Syrian Democratic Forces have spent months tightening the noose on IS-held Raqa and entered the city … Read more