According to the source, who wished to remain anonymous, the SDF has liberated a district called Al-Meshleb in the eastern outskirts of the city.
In this district, three cars laden with explosives were found. At present, work is underway to search for and neutralize mines that were laid by terrorists.
In an interview with Sputnik Turkey the commander of a unit of the SDF, Abdulaziz Yunus, said that the forces entered the city from the east and the west with the siege of Raqqa being conducted from three sides simultaneously.
“Daesh can escape Raqqa only from the southern direction. Every day in the course of fierce clashes, Daesh is suffering heavy losses. The operation for the liberation of Raqqa is proceeding according to plan,” Yunus said.
He said that possibly the liberation of Raqqa will happen faster than planned.
“The population of Raqqa provides us with significant assistance in the course of military operations, so the city may be liberated earlier than expected,” Yunus said.
He further said that the civilians are fleeing the city due to the ongoing battles. Many are taking refuge in areas that were earlier liberated by the forces.
“We provide the local population with all possible assistance, with food and basic necessities. The situation is complicated by the fact that Daesh uses civilians as human shields and therefore in every possible way tries to prevent them from leaving the city,” the commander said.
Earlier it was reported that the Pentagon deployed several marine units to the area, in addition to having previously deployed 500 special forces troops.
According to the Pentagon, the newly deployed units have heavy weapons, including M777 155-mm howitzers and AH-64 Apache attack helicopters. The Marines are providing the operation with artillery and close air support.
Raqqa was one of the first cities captured by the terrorists in January 2014.
