DAMASCUS, SYRIA (11:20 A.M.) – On Sunday, the YPG (People’s Protection Units) released a full statement covering the battle for Raqqa where heavy clashes continue day and night.

According to the YPG (main military branch of the Syrian Democratic Forces) press statement, some 65% of Raqqa’s provincial capital has been ‘liberated’ while 2,000 hostages were freed from ISIS captivity over the past month.

On the battlefield, a total of nine districts were wrestled from Islamic State combattants in the month of August alone.

In the southern suburbs, the Nazlat Shehade, Hisham Bin Abdulmelik and Old Raqqa neighborhoods have been captured. To the west, the SDF has imposed full control over the Al-Karim and Al-Diriyah districts. The largest advance was nevertheless secured on the eastern axis where the Mehdi, Al-Rafqa, Mansur and Reshid districts have been brought under Kurdish control. Overnight today, the SDF also captured the Moroor district. Effectively, Kurdish forces are now in control of 14 of out the city’s 23 suburbs.

A pincer offensive along the Euphrates River has notably had YPG assault units meet up on the southern flank, thereby pushing ISIS towards rearguard areas in the densely populated city centre.

Since the battle begin, a total of 1,244 Islamic State members have been killed if one is to believe the YPG. Just three prisoners-of-war were taken by Kurdish troops while 28 ISIS suicide bombers were neutralized in the month of August.

In comparison, the YPG admitted to only 101 deaths in its own ranks due to phase five of the Euphrates Wrath offensive. Not long ago, ISIS indicated it had killed over 1,000 YPG/SDF/PKK fighters in the three-month battle.

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Chris Tomson
Student currently living in Denmark. Special focus on news from Syria, MENA map-making and strategical military analysis.

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