"The Syrian Democratic Forces General Staff, in coordination with the US-led international coalition, will decide whether to accept the proposal of cooperation with the Russians, or the operation will be continued only by us and the international coalition. The alliance [SDF] and the coalition will make a decision on the issue," Selo said.
He noted that it is difficult to set a time frame for the liberation of Raqqa because it depends on a number of factors. Selo added that the operation may also include the city of Deir ez-Zor as well as the northern outskirts of Aleppo.
The SDF announced its planned offensive against the Daesh "capital" of Raqqa last week and said it was ready to cooperate with Russia.
In response, Russian Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia was prepared to coordinate its efforts with the SDF as well as the US-led coalition to liberate the city. However, US Department of Defense spokeswoman Lt. Col. Michelle Baldanza told Sputnik on Tuesday that the Pentagon was not planning any joint operations with Russia.
Raqqa was seized by terrorists from Islamic State, a group outlawed in Russia, the United States and many other countries, in 2013.
