{"id":39003,"date":"2017-08-05T07:35:44","date_gmt":"2017-08-05T07:35:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=39003"},"modified":"2017-08-05T07:35:45","modified_gmt":"2017-08-05T07:35:45","slug":"2000-is-fighters-still-in-raqqa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/2000-is-fighters-still-in-raqqa.html","title":{"rendered":"Syria war: 2,000 IS fighters still in Raqqa – US envoy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Syria war: 2,000 IS fighters still in Raqqa – US envoy<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Some 2,000 Islamic State (IS) militants remain in the Syrian city of Raqqa amid an offensive to recapture the group’s stronghold, a senior US official says.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Brett McGurk, special envoy for the coalition against IS, says US-backed forces have seized about 45% of Raqqa since the operation started in June.<\/span><\/p>\n

He says the group is fighting for its own survival and that the militants are likely to die in the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

IS seized Raqqa in 2014, proclaiming it the capital of a “caliphate”.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have been gradually advancing on the city since November, and launched an offensive to take it on 6 June.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is unclear how many civilians are still in Raqqa, but the United Nations estimates this number to be between 20,000 and 50,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

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  • The desperate fight for IS ‘capital’<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Islamic State: The full story<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The loss of Raqqa would be another major setback for IS after the jihadist group was driven from its main Iraqi bastion of Mosul last month.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The militants have lost 78% of the territory they held in Iraq and 58% of what they had in Syria, Mr McGurk added.<\/span><\/p>\n

    “Today in Raqqa, Isis is fighting for every last block… and fighting for their own survival,” he said, using another acronym for IS. “They most likely will die in Raqqa.”<\/span><\/p>\n

    More than 300,000 people have lost their lives in six years of conflict in Syria, which began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before escalating into a full-scale civil war. Eleven million people have been displaced by the fighting.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Source:-\u00a0http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-middle-east-40835929<\/span><\/p>\n

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