“Our fighters managed to reach the highway from the western front of Raqqa, Damascus,” the SDF stated. “During the operation, approximately 10 terrorists were killed in addition to seizing weapons and ammunition.”
Centcom Commander Gen. Joseph Votel told reporters on Tuesday that coalition and partner forces were engaged in difficult fighting against ISIS, but were where they expected to be at this time.
With respect to the resources and forces on the ground, Votel said they have the capabilities to do what they are doing now, which is isolating Raqqa.
The coalition spokesperson told Rudaw TV on Monday that the SDF are making good progress around Raqqa.
"Our coordination with the Syrian Democratic Forces is outstanding. They continue to make progress to the west of Raqqa near Tabqa Dam. They are very close to liberating these areas — and they’re isolating Tabqa,” said Col. John Dorrian.
“Once this area has been completely freed from Daesh control, then we'll also continue to work with them towards the eastern side of Raqqa to isolate the city further. Then at a time of our and our partner's choosing, they'll move in and they'll liberate that city from ISIS,” he said. Daesh is an Arabic acronym for the extremist group.
