The US-backed alliance of Arabs and Kurds has launched a long-awaited attack on the Islamic State's stronghold in Raqqa. The coalition expects a long, bloody battle for the city.
Image: Reuters/R.Said
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On Tuesday, Prime Minister Binali Yildrim said Turkey would act immediately should any perceived threats arise from the Syrian Democratic Forces' operations to recapture the city of Raqqa from the so-called "Islamic State" (IS).
Yildrim made his remarks in Ankara to deputies from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling Law and Justice Party on the same day that the SDF launched an attack on the IS stronghold from the east, north and west.
Yildrim said Turkey was taking precautions in case its interests were threatenedImage: picture alliance/abaca/M. Aktas
The SDF, a roughly 50,000-member alliance backed by the United States, largely consists of Arabs and fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG), a Kurdish militia that Turkey consider a terrorist organization.
The Turkish state has been facing a nearly three-decade-long insurgency led by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has links to the YPG.
Officials in Ankara have expressed concern that a YPG takeover of Raqqa, about 55 miles (90 kilometers) south of Turkey's border, and other territorial gains made by the Kurds over the past two years could embolden its own Kurdish population's demands for autonomy at a time of heightened clashes between the PKK and Turkish security forces.
But the United States views the SDF as key partners in the fight against IS in Syria and has provided the alliance with air support, training and weapons. It also has said it does not view the YPG as the same as the PKK, putting Washington and Ankara at odds.
The recapture of Raqqa could also be a blow to IS's international image
A 'fierce' battle
IS seized Raqqa in 2014 and made the city the Syrian capital of the group's self-declared caliphate - the counterpart to the group's besieged former stronghold of Mosul in Iraq. The SDF's launch of its operation to retake Raqqa on Tuesday comes after months of fighting clearing IS from a string of towns and villages to the north, west and east.
Using a common Arabic acronym for IS, SDF spokesman Talal Silo said late Monday that the battle to retake Raqqa would be "fierce because Daesh will die to defend their so-called capital."
But "morale is high and military readiness to implement the military plan is complete, in coordination with the US-led coalition," Silo added.
The offensive would be "long and difficult," but that retaking the city would be a "decisive blow to the idea of ISIS as a physical caliphate," said Lieutenant General Stephen Townsend, the US commander in charge of anti-IS operations, using a common English-language acronym for IS, Reuters reported.
The assault on Raqqa began with US-led coalition airstrikes that reportedly killed 12 people, including women and children who were fleeing the city, according to Syria's state news agency.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the number to be as high as 21.
An estimated 160,000 civilians are believed to be in Raqqa, according to the UN.
A photo released in 2014 shows IS militants marching through the streets of RaqqaImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Forces battle at the city's edge
The attack on Raqqa's urban area "started today at dawn," Observatory director Rami Abdulrahman said, adding that SDF forces "have reached the city but they have not entered any of its buildings."
The Observatory reported the presence of coalition forces in Raqqa's eastern al-Mosheileb neighborhood, as well as engaged in fighting at a military base on the city's northern edge.
Fighting to regain control of IS-held urban areas has proved tactically difficult because of cities' narrow roads and dense infrastructure, which offer ample hiding places. IS forces have also required all men in municipalities under their control to don the group's typical outfits in order to make it more difficult for coalition forces to differentiate between militants and civilians.
Coalition forces have been fighting to recapture Raqqa since November 2016. Last week, SDF forces captured the key town of Mansoura, the last remaining urban center on the way to Raqqa.
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
