Syrian Kurds backed by US forces declare war on IS capital, Raqqa

AP- Kurdish-led Syrian forces backed by the U.S. said they have begun a military campaign to liberate the Islamic State group’s de facto capital of Raqqa, urging civilians to avoid “enemy gatherings” in the Syrian city and warning Turkey not to interfere in the operation.

The announcement by a coalition of Kurds and Arabs known as the Syria Democratic Forces came at a news conference in Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, and was attended by senior commanders and representatives of the group. But it lacked specific details on how they plan to oust the militants from the city, which is home to nearly 200,000 mostly Sunni Arabs and an estimated 5,000 militants.

Islamic State forces already are under attack by U.S.-backed Iraqi forces on the eastern edges of the city of Mosul, which the militant group seized in 2014 when it captured territory across Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate. The Iraqi forces, who began their operation Oct. 17, are trying to push deeper into the city, which is the militants’ last urban bastion in Iraq.

Kurdish officials said the two anti-IS campaigns are not coordinated but simply a matter of “good timing.”

“We call on our heroic steadfast people in Raqqa and surrounding areas to stay away from enemy gatherings which will be a target for the liberating forces and the coalition forces, and to head to areas that will be liberated,” said Cihan Ehmed, an SDF fighter reading the statement.

She said 30,000 fighters will take part in the operation, dubbed “Euphrates Rage,” and that a joint operations command had been set up to coordinate various factions on all fronts.