BEIRUT: The head of the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said a US-backed assault to drive Daesh from its de facto capital Raqqa would begin at the start of April and the YPG would be taking part, despite fierce opposition from neighboring Turkey.
A spokesman for the US Pentagon said no decision had been made yet on the Raqqa offensive.
US-backed forces, including the YPG, are closing in on the city. The comments by YPG commander Sipan Hemo to Reuters were the first indication of a date for an attack on Raqqa.
In a written reply to questions, Hemo, who rarely if ever appears in the media, said: “Regarding the decision to liberate Raqqa and storm it, the matter is decided and at the start of the month of April the military operation will begin.”
He added: “We believe that liberating Raqqa will not take more than a number of weeks.” His comments were relayed via a YPG spokesman.
Hemo said YPG militia would storm Raqqa alongside Arab fighters in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). “Of the total force for storming Raqqa, 25 percent are YPG, who are set apart in their combat experience and high-level command skills directing battles in cities,” he said.
Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, Pentagon spokesman, said: “We have not made any decisions on how and when we will move in for the liberation of Raqqa.”
Meanwhile, the US is deploying an additional 400 troops to help defeat Daesh in Raqqa, a spokesman for the US-led coalition said on Thursday.
“They are temporary forces,” US Col. John Dorrian told reporters in Baghdad, confirming a report in the New York Times, adding that the long-term authorized level of US troops in Syria would remain at 500.
Separately, the Syrian regime and opposition delegations have confirmed their attendance at peace talks set to resume in Geneva this week, the UN said on Tuesday, despite renewed fighting around Damascus.
“All invitees who had already attended the previous round of talks in February 2017 have confirmed their participation,” UN spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci told reporters.
She said UN mediator Staffan de Mistura was visiting key powers shaping the conflict — including Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey — before returning to Geneva to lead the talks.
Daesh 'capital' in crosshairs; US sending more troops to bolster offensive
Daesh 'capital' in crosshairs; US sending more troops to bolster offensive
Senior Hamas figure among 7 killed in Israeli airstrike
- Pair of Israeli airstrikes hit Gaza's Deir Al-Balah, killing a Hamas commander
- Boy, aged 16, among the dead
CAIRO: A senior figure in the armed wing of Hamas was among seven people killed on Thursday in a pair of Israeli airstrikes in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, a Hamas source said.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the incident. The Hamas source said one of the dead was Mohammed Al-Holy, a local commander in the group’s armed wing in Deir Al-Balah.
Hamas condemned the strikes on the Al-Holy family, in a statement that did not mention Mohammed or his role in the group. It accused Israel of violating the ceasefire deal in place since October, and attempting to reignite the conflict.
Health officials said the six other dead in the incident included a 16-year-old.
Israel and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire and remain far apart from each other on key issues, despite the United States announcing the start of the agreement’s second phase on Wednesday.
More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect in October.
Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain. Nearly all of the territory’s more than 2 million people now live in makeshift homes or damaged buildings in a sliver of territory where Israeli troops have withdrawn and Hamas has reasserted control.
The United Nations children’s agency said on Tuesday that over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.
Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s assault has killed 71,000 people, according to health authorities in the strip, and left much of Gaza in ruins.
