DAMASCUS (Sputnik) — The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) continue their offensive to liberate the Syrian city of Raqqa occupied by the Islamic State (ISIL or Daesh) jihadist group and are fighting at a distance of 18 miles from it, media reported Friday.
According to the Lebanon-based Al Mayadeen satellite television channel, during the offensive the SDF have already liberated several settlements, including Ash-Shibil and Khidir.
The SDF, formed in 2015 as the defense force of northern Syria's de facto autonomous Rojava federation and supported by the US-led coalition, announced a military operation to liberate Raqqa from the Daesh on Sunday. The SDF urged international and regional forces to support the operation, dubbed Euphrates Rage.
Raqqa has been under control of the Daesh, which is outlawed in the United States and Russia among many other countries, since 2013.