But on Sunday, as Iraqi forces continued to advance through Mosul’s neighborhoods, a group of U.S.-backed militias announced an operation to oust Islamic State from Raqqah. Brigitte N. Brantley/DoD via AP)U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Sunday that he welcomed the announcement that the operation to “free Raqqah from ISIL’s barbaric grip has begun.” ISIL and ISIS are English acronyms for Islamic State. In August, Ankara launched “Euphrates Shield,” an operation in which its forces fought alongside Syrian rebels to attack Islamic State positions. Yet it also used those forces to target the city of Manbij, which the SDF had captured from Islamic State in August. Their ultimate goal is an independent Kurdish state over portions of what are now northern Syria and Iraq.

Source: Los Angeles Times November 06, 2016 15:43 UTC