BEIRUT — U.S.-backed fighters in northern Syria are preparing for a final offensive on neighbourhoods still held by the Islamic State group in the city of Raqqa, a spokesman for the group said Monday. There have been concerns about a clash between the U.S.-backed fighters and President Bashar Assad’s forces. The Turkish troops crossed into Syrian territory on Sunday to begin “reconnaissance activities” in Idlib, a statement from Ankara said. Also Sunday, Turkish forces shelled along the border parts of an area dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants in Syria. Ankara sees the Syrian Kurdish forces as an extension of its own minority Kurdish insurgency.

Source: National Post October 09, 2017 09:33 UTC