ISIL in Syria on the Verge of Final Defeat, City of Raqqa to be Liberated Soon

The Islamic State is on the verge of defeat in the Syrian city of Raqqa and the city can finally be cleansed of terrorists, the Syrian Kurdish militia YPG told Reuters, reports the Patria agency. 

The US-led coalition against IS said that in the past 24 hours, about 100 members of the terrorist group surrendered and were “taken out of the city,” but that heavy fighting is still expected “in the coming days.”

It was not stated how the terrorists were taken out or where they would be taken.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the remaining IS members were transported from Raqqa by bus in accordance with an agreement between IS, the US-led coalition, and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which are dominated by YPG forces.

The SDF, with the support of coalition aircraft and special forces, has been fighting since June to expel IS from Raqqa, formally their capital in Syria and a base for operations from which they planned attacks against the West.

The final defeat of IS in Raqqa will be a major turning point in efforts to nullify the self-proclaimed caliphate in Syria and Iraq, where the terrorist group was pushed out of Mosul earlier this year.

- Fighting continues in Raqqa. IS is on the verge of being defeated. Today or tomorrow the city will be liberated – said YPG spokesperson Nuri Mahmud.

The spokesperson for the coalition forces stated in an email that as of October 13, about 85 percent of Raqqa has been liberated.

- In recent weeks, about 1,500 civilians managed to safely reach SDF lines – added the spokesperson for the coalition forces.