Syrian Rebels Backed by US Coalition Free Most of Tabqa From Daesh - Pentagon

US-led coalition partner forces in Syria have cleared most of Tabqa of Daesh terrorists and are working to liberate the rest of the city, Operation Inherent Resolve spokesperson Col. John Dorrian said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Dorrian explained the SDF forces have encountered Daesh snipers who attack them from the city’s buildings, including mosques and hospitals.

Additionally, he said the terrorists have sabotaged other infrastructure to block advancing SDF forces.

"The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian Arab Coalition have successfully liberated the vast majority of Tabqa and they continue to clear ISIS [Daesh] remnants from the final two neighborhoods of the city," Dorrian told reporters.

Dorrian also noted that the largest number of Daesh have relocated to Raqqa, the group’s de facto capital, but a large number of foreign fighters are barricaded at the Tabqa dam.

The SDF are working to cut off the dam from the rest of the city and isolate the remaining terrorists there.

In November 2016, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which predominately consists of Kurdish fighters, but also includes members of the Syrian Arab Coalition, launched an operation called the Rage of Euphrates in order to seize control over Syrian Raqqa, the de facto Daesh capital, and are now starting the fourth stage of the campaign aimed at liberating the rural areas of Raqqa province from terrorists.