Syrian Kurds announced the start of an operation to liberate Raqqa from IS

The Syrian Democratic Forces Alliance, which includes Syrian Kurdish military formations and a number of Arab groups, announced on November 6 the launch of an operation to liberate the city of Raqqa, which is considered the "capital" of the Islamic State terrorist organization.

The operation was called "Wrath of the Euphrates". About 30 thousand fighters of the alliance will take part in it. The first stage of the operation will be the isolation of Raqqa by capturing the surrounding areas, after which the assault on the city will begin, reports AFP. According to Reuters, an international coalition led by the United States will support the offensive from the air.

The representative of the association at the press conference also expressed the hope that "Turkey will not interfere in the internal affairs of Syria." Earlier, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Ishik said that the Kurds should not participate in the liberation of Raqqa.

• The Islamic State militants captured Raqqa in January 2014 and call the city their capital. It is believed that the governing bodies of the organization are concentrated in the city.
• The Syrian Democratic Forces Alliance, dominated by the Kurdish YPG, controls territory north of Raqqa and south of the Syrian-Turkish border. In May, the alliance announced the start of an offensive against Raqqa with the aim of capturing areas north of the city. Over the past months, the alliance has captured settlements north and west of Raqqa.
• In October, an offensive began in Iraq against Mosul, the second largest city held by ISIS. The operation involves the Iraqi government army, Kurdish peshmerga units and Shiite armed groups, as well as aviation of the international coalition led by the United States. At the end of October, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that the assaults on Mosul and Raqqa would coincide in time.