Posted on 06/06/2017 12:57:09 PM PDT by Texas Fossil
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) General Command announced the launch of the 'Great Battle' for the liberation of Raqqa from ISIS.
The historic statement was read by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Spokesman Talal Silo in the Hezîma town north of Raqqa. Representatives of SDF commanders, representatives of the Raqqa Civilian Council and Co-President Leyla Mustefa and regional tribes were also present in the press statement in Hezîma village north of Raqqa.
On behalf of the General Command of SDF, the historical statement was announced to the world with the following words:
"After a long struggle, our forces and the forces carrying out a joint struggle against terrorists have marked in history their legends of heroism. From the historical resistance of Kobanê to the liberation of Girê Spî, Hawl and Shaddadi, to the villages of Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa, and to the dams in these regions, many historic steps have been taken for the liberation of the people in these regions from the terrorists and the fulfillment of their vital needs within existing resources.
Today, in the name of the Operations Room Wrath of Euphrates Command, we announce that we have launched the "Great Battle" for the liberation of the city of Raqqa, which the gangs have made the capital of terror and terrorism. The great battle will begin with the participation of the YPG/YPJ, Army of Revolutionaries (Jaysh al-Thuwar), Jabhat al-Akrad, Democratic al-Shamal Brigades, Tribal Forces, Maghawir Humus Brigades, Siqur al-Raqqa, Liwa al-Tahrir, Seljuk Turkmen Brigade, Sanadid Forces, Syriac Military Council, Manbij Military Council, Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Self-Defense Forces, Nuxbe Forces.
This battle is taking place with the help of the Raqqa Civilian Council, the Syrian Democratic Council (MSD), the tribal opinion leaders in the region, and also with the help of our people in the region.
We announce the good news of the start of the Great Battle which aims to liberate Raqqa city, and we declare that our forces are ready for the fight with high morale and great preparations. We state that the battle plan which has been discussed with our partners on the ground, the International Coalition, is ready to be implemented. As seen in the attacks against Karachok, many forces have made intensive efforts to prevent this historic campaign, but this attack and futile efforts have all been wasted. Contrary to what these opposing efforts and attacks aim at, we have strengthened our will, further knowing our hatred against terrorism and increased our struggle will against it. In this sense, each Karachok martyr has become a torch illuminating our way. Staying attached to the memories of the Karachok martyrs, we will conclude this great battle successfully and present this historic victory to the souls of our martyrs.
Once again, we call on our people in Raqqa to stay away from the enemy's centers, vulnerable spots and conflict areas. We call on our people to gather around our forces and help them so that they can fulfill their duties. We are also urging the youth of Raqqa to continue their participation in our forces to liberate the lands they live in.
In this historic day, we respect our martyrs who sacrificed their lives for us to arrive to the stage where we are now, and we wish our heroes a quick healing process. Once again in the name of the Operations Room Wrath of Euphrates, we salute the fighters and commanders of all the forces and groups involved in the Great Battle. We also express our thanks to the International Coalition Forces.
We also greet our people of all sects and religions who resist the terrorists, and the press workers who share the developments in the war zone with the public and are with our forces for live footage."
This is a very large undertaking. The town before ISIS captured it was 240,000 people.
ISIS is thought to have a few thousand fighters still in Raqqa. There is no accurate way to know how many.
Their numbers and effectiveness has been reduced by continuing surveillance and targeting of command and control centers. Precision strikes have degraded their abilities.
note: there are videos at the source link.
Syria Ping
Official announcement of battle to take Raqqa
Missed it by a couple of minutes. Different source though.
Thanks for the post.
I’m just glad someone is watching these events. I have learned that there are some foreign sources that are pretty accurate and know about the events near them.
Thanks.
Smile.
Good shooting.
I read that some of the “leaders” of ISIS called for fighters to come to Raqqa. Now that is a bit of a problem. Most of the paths in are securely closed.
It is unlikely the ones in Raqqa will slither away either.
Will the turks do anything stupid?...
Turkey issues warning to coalition
Turkey’s Prime Minister said his country will respond if the offensive to recapture Raqqa poses a security threat to Turkey.
In an address to legislators from his ruling party, Binali Yildirim again criticized the United States for launching the Raqqa offensive with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
NATO member Turkey considers the Kurdish fighters within the SDF terrorists because of their links to outlawed Kurdish rebels in Turkey and had opposed their involvement in the operation.
“To support terror organisations does not suit (our) alliance,” Prime Minister Yildirim said.
“We will immediately give the necessary response if we come across a situation in Raqqa or any other point in the region that threatens our security.”
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-06/battle-for-raqqa-begins/8595086
Turkey is painting itself in a corner. Gulf oil money will no longer pay for his nonsense. It is evidenced on how SA and others reacted to Trumps Middle East trip.
Erdogan will wind up having few allies left.
If he goes totally off the reservation, I suspect he might be surprised about he response. Trump is not Obama.
And almost all of Trump’s allies (outside NATO) are Terrorists. Men who live in glass houses should be careful of where they throw rocks.
Meet the new boss....
Oh, they’ll slip away. After a 6 month “infantry only” fight, they’ll make an agreement that ISIS can leave in a convoy. They’ll scatter all back to Europe.
Its delusional to think that we will allow them all to be killed or penned up for war crimes trial processing.
Then we will start assisting the Syrian “democratic” forces in attacking Assad. That’s our Generals main war objective. ISIS is a sideshow. Isis got out of hand and embarrassed them.
I am thinking they shold shut their yaps until the battle is won.
shold = should
Seems a helicopter drop to the south east of Raqqa, was disrupted by IS. Hope this was another grand envelope operation and that they try again with enough horsepower to hold the position. Cut them off and slaughter them all, please.
Yes, it is.
The battle of Truth against Lies.
The battle of Good against Evil.
The battle of Life against Death.
“The Great Battle” Indeed.
I do not believe it will last 6 months.
They will beat ISIS.
Will there be surprises? Probably.
That’s not what Eisenhower did on D-Day. He issued a statement as well.
I have not seen or heard anything about that drop.
Source?
Fierce clashes are taking place between ISIS gangs and SDF fighters advancing through the eastern front.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.