US-Backed Syrian Rebels Break Through Daesh's Defenses in Raqqa Old City

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) supported by the US-led international coalition have reached the old city in Raqqa, advancing into its most heavily fortified enclave and overcoming the defenses of Daesh terrorist group, the coalition press service said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the statement, Daesh militants were using the historical wall as a fighting position, planting improvised explosive devices and mines between several of the gaps in the wall.

"Overcoming heavy ISIS [Daesh] resistance, the Syrian Democratic Forces breached the Old City of Raqqah, July 3. Coalition forces supported the SDF advance into the most heavily fortified portion of Raqqah [Raqqa] by opening two small gaps in the Rafiqah Wall that surrounds the Old City," the coalition said in a press release.

The operation to recapture Raqqa was launched by the SDF on June 6. The terrorist group took control of the city and declared it Daesh's capital in Syria on January 13, 2014.

The SDF was formed in 2015 as the defense force of northern Syria's de facto autonomous Rojava federation and is supported by the US-led coalition. The group is among the forces fighting Daesh and brings together Kurdish, Arab, Assyrian and Turkmen fighters, among others.