DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — The Syrian Army on Saturday reached the borders of the country's northern Raqqa province, partially occupied by the jihadists from the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) militant group, a military source told Sputnik.
According to the source, the offensive of Syrian troops, supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, aims at liberation of Tabqah town located to the west of Raqqa city.
The source added that Damascus' forces were only in some 20 miles away from Tabqah.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups, such as the IS.
The city of Raqqa has been under control of the IS, a designated terror group outlawed in the United States and Russia among many other countries, since 2013.
