Conquest of Raqqa: Daesh Fortifying Besieged City, Beefing Up Defense

Militants from the Daesh terrorist group, banned in Russia, are building fortifications around the Syrian city of Raqqa, media report.

DAMASCUS (Sputnik) – An offensive to liberate Raqqa from Daesh, code-named Operation Wrath of Euphrates, was launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance of Kurdish, Arab and other ethnic group militias on November 5, 2016.

The Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper said on Thursday citing witnesses and informed sources that several days ago, Daesh terrorists started to construct fortifications around Raqqa and were now building anti-tank trenches and mining underground tunnels.

The terrorists have also forces residents of local villages into the city in order to use them as a "live shield," the newspaper said.

There are currently an estimated 3,000 – 4,000 thousand terrorists in Raqqa. The SDF forces are being supported by the US-led anti-Daesh coalition in their efforts to retake the city.

An SDF spokeswoman said on Thursday that SDF units had secured full control of areas surrounding Raqqa, liberating hundreds of villages. According to the spokeswoman, the battle to fully liberate Raqqa would take months.