The Syrian army has reached the last jihadist-held town on the road to its besieged garrison in the east, a monitoring group said on Friday. Government forces are on the outskirts of Al-Sukhna, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) northeast of the famed ancient city of Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The town … Read more
Under the Islamic State group’s rule, Syrian farmer Faysal was forced to hide his sketches and paintings, but displaced by fighting he has finally been able to resume his beloved hobby. He sought refuge with his family at the Ain Issa camp in northern Syria three months ago, fleeing the battle for jihadist stronghold Raqa, … Read more
Britain’s Defence Minister Michael Fallon praised Iraq on Sunday for defeating the Islamic State group in Mosul but warned that more has to be done to combat the jihadists. Earlier on Sunday Iraq announced victory against IS in the northern city, the country’s second largest, from where the group declared a self-styled caliphate three years … Read more
The United States will not be drawn into Syria’s civil war, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said, despite an increasingly complicated battle space that has seen US warplanes down pro-regime aircraft. Speaking to reporters on a military plane late Monday as he headed for meetings in Europe, Mattis said the US-led coalition was determined … Read more
Iraqi forces said Tuesday they were fighting fierce battles with the Islamic State group and rescuing escaping civilians as they pursued their offensive against Mosul’s jihadist-held Old City. Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a senior commander in the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said the battle was proceeding as expected but that progress was slow. “Things are … 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
US-backed Syrian fighters reached the eastern edge of the Islamic State group’s stronghold Raqa on Tuesday, a monitor said, ahead of the expected announcement of a final push for the city. The Syrian Democratic Forces have spent months sealing off the jihadists in the city and had advanced to within a few kilometres (miles) of … Read more
US-backed fighters hunted for jihadist holdouts in Syria’s Tabqa on Thursday after overrunning the city and nearby dam in a step forward for their advance on Islamic State group stronghold Raqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces scored one of their biggest victories against IS as controversy intensified over a US decision to arm the alliance’s Kurdish … Read more
Clashes raged around a key northern Syrian town on Tuesday after the Islamic State group launched a counter-attack to fend off a US-backed advance near the jihadists’ stronghold Raqa. Backed by air power from an international coalition bombing IS, the Syrian Democratic Forces are laying the groundwork for an assault on the heart of the … Read more
US-backed forces battled the Islamic State group around a key Syrian town Monday, hours after the capture of an airbase brought them closer to besieging the jihadists in their stronghold Raqa. Backed by air power from the US-led coalition that has been bombing IS since 2014, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are laying the groundwork … Read more
US-backed forces in Syria on Monday cut off a key supply route between the Islamic State group’s stronghold Raqa and its territory in Deir Ezzor province, a commander and a monitor said. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, seized control of the only major road linking Raqa along the … Read more
Syrian farmers near the Euphrates river are terrified the Islamic State group will literally open the floodgates to defend its stronghold Raqa, drowning their tiny villages in the process. Water levels of the Euphrates, which snakes down through northern Syria and east into Iraq, have shot up over the past month near the jihadist group’s … Read more