Operation to liberate Raqqa city will start in few days: Kurdish official

ARA News ^ | June 3, 2017 | Helin Saeed

[BeauBo]

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prepare to launch a major operation aimed at liberating Raqqa city from ISIS militants. The key operation will start in a few days, the official spokesman of the Kurdish Peope’s Protection Units (YPG) said on Saturday. The YPG is a leading force within the US-backed SDF.

...After the fall of Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria will be ISIS’s last major foothold in Syria and Iraq.

[BeauBo]

The assault on the "Capital" of ISIS is about to begin.

Happy Ramadan!

[BeauBo]

Official announcement made... Raqqa assault in days.

[Nachoman]

Why don’t you post the day and hour of the attack so ISIS can flee the city in time?

[JudyinCanada]

Why is it being announced? I never understood giving the enemy a head’s up.

[DoughtyOne]

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[JudyinCanada]

Maybe they’ve got everyone set up at all of the exits just outside the city and are going to pop them off as they flee. That would make for an easier cleanup when they move in to take the city.

[SaxxonWoods]

They can’t get out. They are in a kill zone.

[Parley Baer]

I hope they have the city surrounded. Annihilate them all.

[Freedom56v2]

Thanks for sharing—NOT

What is with these people?!?!

Loose Lips Sink Ships!!!

[GreenHornet]

Why not just send them a “Save the Date” card?

[freedumb2003]

But don’t tell anyone.

It’s a secret.

SShhhh.

[Migraine]

I’m with you I don’t need to know the day of the assault; I need to know the day of the victory.

[BeauBo]

“Why is it being announced? I never understood giving the enemy a head’s up.”

You want to exhaust the enemy defenses just prior to a big assault - make them post their max guard force, and keep them up a few nights first. Probably some feints to help keep them awake, and make them run their reaction forces back and forth.

And of course, there should be artillery prep.

If Raqqa is like the other urban assaults that they have done (like Manbij), it will be a slow, steady encroachment, rather than a big charge.

They have been in contact for months, and the frontline is just now grinding into the city limits, like a gradual arm-wrestling contest.

It seems like there will be greater support from the US (weapons, equipment and artillery) than there has been before. So maybe Raqqa will go a bit quicker. A couple of months perhaps, a couple more to be conservative.

3,000 to 4,000 dug in jihadis willing to die, in a tight urban environment with lots of human shields. Killing 50 per day on average, would be an aggressive pace to sustain for months.

[dp0622]

I dont get it. They seemed media savvy enough to get lots of recruits.

They should have made a public statement that they would meet hillary at the negotiating table.

Or let refugees leave their occupied areas.

Any lie.

They helped elect Trump with every terrorist act up until Nov 8.

Good

[JudyinCanada]

Thank you for that explanation. Good to know it’s a tactic rather than a mistake.

[Texas Fossil]

No surprise there. smile