Syrian Democratic Forces

US Backed SDF, Syrian Army Advance on Deir el-Zour

With both the Syrian Army and the US backed SDF militias advancing on the city of Deir el-Zour held by Islamic State fighters, the U.S.-led coalition has said they are says monitoring the Syrians to ensure they do not cross a deconfliction zone established across the city. “We do monitor and watch where they are […]

Exclusive: U.S. forces to stay in Syria for decades, say militia allies

Washington’s main Syrian ally in the fight against Islamic State says the U.S. military will remain in northern Syria long after the jihadists are defeated, predicting enduring ties with the Kurdish-dominated region. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of militias dominated by the Kurdish YPG, believes the United States has a “strategic interest” […]

Turkey prepared for possible fight with YPG in Syria

Set amid an increasingly violent environment of confrontation between Syrian Kurds and the Turkish government, Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan has been upping the rhetoric against his Kurdish enemies in Syria, much to the delight of his political base at home. Speaking at a rally over the weekend, Erdogan said “We will take important steps to […]

In Raqqa, a battle of attrition as civilians flee in shock

As U.S.-backed forces in Syria inch their way through Raqqa, once the Islamic State’s de facto capital and staunchest stronghold, their battle has become one of grinding attrition, and the toughest they have faced to date. At times they are fighting house-to-house, battling suicide attacks in narrow streets as they wait to see if the […]

US-backed forces have retaken half of Raqqa from ISIS — Here’s what the fighting on the ground looks like

US-backed forces in Syria announced Thursday that they have captured nearly half of ISIS’ de facto capital of Raqqa, Associated Press reported. The Syrian Democratic Forces — largely made up of Kurdish, Sunni and Christian fighters — began their assault on Raqqa on June 6, and have since taken about 45% of the city, according to Army […]

Syrian army, militias attack rebels in southeast desert

Syrian troops and Iranian-backed militias launched an assault on Bedouin villages in southeast Syria on Monday to consolidate control of a swathe of desert stretching to the Iraqi border, Western-backed rebels said. The rebels said they came under attack at dawn in a sparsely populated desert area that lies east of the pro-government controlled city […]

US-Backed Forces in Raqqa, Breach Perimeter in ISIS Stronghold

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the United States have breached a perimeter wall that surrounds the Old City of Raqqa, as the battle rages around the last stronghold of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria. SDF fighters had penetrated the Rafiqah Wall as the battle intensified. Reports were surfacing of Islamic State fighters trying […]

ISIS fighters employ new tactic in Raqqa

WASHINGTON — Besieged ISIS fighters launched a desperate counterattack, disguised as Syrian Democratic Forces, in the al-Sinaa and al-Mashlab neighborhoods of Raqqa, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The attack was launched by roughly 30 to 40 fighters according to the human rights watchdog observing the Syrian conflict. Reports out of the battlefield indicate ISIS […]

U.S. envoy visits Syria to talk post-Raqqa plans

The U.S. special envoy to the coalition against the Islamic State on Wednesday met with leaders of a council consisting of members from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who plan on administering the Syrian city of Raqqa following the eventual collapse of the ISIS stronghold. Brett McGurk, who was appointed by the State Department has […]

Tensions rise in Syria: U.S. shoots down Syrian fighter jet, Russia threatens retaliation

In the skies over Syria on Sunday, a U.S. F/A-18E Super Hornet secured America’s first air to air combat victory in over twenty years. The American jet was forced to engage and shoot down a Syrian military SU-22 that had begun dropping ordnance near U.S. partnered forces in the area. The United States was forced […]

U.S.-led airstrikes on Syria’s Raqqa cause ‘staggering’ civilian deaths, U.N. says

BEIRUT — Airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition have caused a “staggering” loss of civilian life in recent months around the Islamic State’s Syrian stronghold of Raqqa, a United Nations investigative body said Wednesday. A U.S.-backed ground force entered the city with the help of coalition air raids last week, three years after the area became a hub from […]

U.S. coalition begins ‘long and difficult’ battle for Islamic State’s Raqqa stronghold

BEIRUT — U.S.-backed forces have begun the “long and difficult” battle to capture the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de facto capital, the U.S.-led coalition fighting the extremist group said Tuesday. Kurdish-led militants began laying the groundwork for the offensive in November, edging through the surrounding province and cutting supply lines into the […]