TheNorthern Raqqa offensive was a 2016military offensive launched by theKurdish-ledSyrian Democratic Forces against theIslamic State of Iraq and the Levant in northernRaqqa Governorate, in order to prepare for a future attack on the city ofRaqqa. The offensive was launched in coordination with airstrikes by theUS-ledCombined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.[14] After 30 May, the offensive stalled, as the SDF shifted its focus and resources toanother operation in the northern Aleppo Province.
On 1 April 2016,Democratic Union Party (PYD) leaderSalih Muslim stated thatSyrian Democratic Forces (SDF) forces were preparing with theUS-led coalition to launch an offensive onRaqqa.[15]
U.S. Central Command Commander GeneralJoseph L. Votel, the highest-ranking U.S. military official to visit Syria since the war erupted in 2011, came to Northern Syria in May 2016.[16]
Kurdish forces established a stronghold about 37 kilometers (23 miles) north of Raqqa.[17] ISIL reportedly used the residents of Raqqa ashuman shields, preventing them from leaving the city.[18]
According to Joshua Walker of theGerman Marshall Fund, Raqqa could be "the beginning of the end" for ISIL, and the most important offensive sinceKobani in 2015.[19]
On 20 May the US-led coalition dropped leaflets on the city, encouraging the residents to leave.[20]
The SDF is led and dominated byYPG forces, which generally consist ofKurds. To avoidethnic tensions with Raqqa's majorityArab population,US special forces trained more than 200 Arab fighters to take part in the offensive.
The announcement for the offensive was made on 24 May,[21] when the 30,000-strong[18] SDF announced the offensive, "with participation from all SDF units",[22] mobilising thousands of fighters in the countryside north of Raqqa, with the aim of expelling ISIL fighters from north of al-Raqqa.[19]
The US-led coalition stated that it would provide air support for the offensive.[19] Russian foreign ministerSergei Lavrov announced that his country was ready to coordinate with U.S. and Kurdish forces in the offensive,[19] but the U.S., distrustful of the Russian establishment, turned down the offer.[23]
On 21 May 2016 the SDF, led by theYPG, captured the village of al-Hishah, near the town ofAyn Issa in the northern countryside from ISIL, killing eight fighters.[24] In the following days additional SDF fighters were mobilized fromTell Abyad to Ayn Issa.[14] ISIL fighters in Raqqa responded by creating defensive lines and tunnels in the city.[4] seven Coalition airstrikes on ISIL positions were confirmed on 23 May.[25] On 25 May, the SDF took control of the Namrodia and Matmashraja villages near Ayn Issa.[26]
On 26 May, the SDF reported new gains. SDF forces took the villages of Qartaja, al-Fastah, Indebin and Matmasraja. They had advanced some 6 km into IS-held lands north of Raqqa,[27] and killed at least 31 ISIL fighters.[28] By 30 May, ISIL had redeployed 2,000 to 3,000 militants to Raqqa, from Mosul and other areas controlled by ISIL.[citation needed] It was also reported that ISIL's use of civilians as human shields was slowing down the SDF advance.[29] Later on the same day, the SDF captured an additional nine villages from ISIL, in the northern countryside of Raqqa.[30]
On 3 June 2016, aYPG unit infiltrated into a detention center run byISIS inRaqqa city and raided it, rescuing a number of prisoners, including aYezidi family.[31]
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