The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) further advanced in the western Raqqa countryside and managed to capture the northern part of the Ba’ath dam. The SDF also launched an attack on Hunydeh village, located to the west of the southern part of the Ba’ath Dam.
The SDF also announced an amnesty for any militant affiliated with ISIS or linked to it if he surrenders himself and his weapon before May 31, 2017. According to the SDF, this decision was the result of demands from the people of Raqqa and the fact that a large part of the militants were forced to fight by ISIS.
According to local sources, the US-led coalition increased airstrikes on Raqqa city and its vicinity in the last 24 hours. US-led coalition warplanes also bombed ISIS positions in the village of Hunydeh in the eastern Tabqa countryside.
In the coming days, the SDF is expected to begin its offensive on the village of Raqqa al-Samra, the last village in the eastern Raqqa countryside controlled by ISI.
It is not yet clear if the SDF intends to cross the Euphrates River in eastern Raqqa in order to encircle the ISIS-held city from the south. In other case, it could leave a route in the south to allow ISIS militants to flee the city.
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image
Click to see the full-size image