The US-backed SDF will begin the offensive “very soon,” spokesperson Cihan Shekh Ahmed said, AP reported. She anticipated the final push for the city will begin within days.
The Kurdish-led SDF have taken control of 90 percent of al-Mansoura, a large town some 25 kilometres southwest of Raqqa, on the southern shore of the Euphrates River near to the Baath dam, also known as the Azadi dam, according to a statement from the military campaign on Saturday.
Clashes are continuing in a neighbourhood on the river’s edge.
The conflict monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, reported that the SDF, supported by US special forces, were working to clear mines and any remaining militants from the town and dam areas. The Observatory claimed that some ISIS militants had withdrawn with their families to areas still under the group’s control in Raqqa province.
This advancement allowed the SDF to “extend their control on the southern banks of the Euphrates River where they have controlled more than 50km of the southern bank of the river,” the Observatory stated.
The SDF has captured 350 square-kilometers in areas around Raqqa since May 30, coalition spokesperson Col. Ryan Dillon told reporters earlier this week.
The United States has provided arms to the Kurdish-led forces in preparation for the Raqqa offensive.
“Obviously, they will face a threat that we believe is going to be very similar to what we've seen in Mosul. And these vehicle-borne IEDs, the up-armor types are going to be a threat,” said Dillon. “And we want to make sure our Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF], our partners, are prepared and ready for that.”
The UN estimates there are about 230,000 civilians living in Raqqa city.
