US ‘Laying Groundwork’ For Raqqa Offensive In Syria

The US- led coalition is preparing an offensive to oust ISIS from its de-facto capital Raqqa in Syria according to the US Defense Secretary. Ash Carter said the operation will likely start before the battle for Mosul is won and Russia has not been invited to join the effort. In an interview with NBC, Carter said the assault will start in the next few weeks. “We have already begun laying the groundwork to commence the isolation in Raqqa,” the Pentagon chief said at a press conference in Paris. RT reports: According to Carter, the two officials agreed that the 13-state military coalition that gathered in the French capital would proceed with a sense of “urgency and focus” and confirmed previous statements that there will be a likely “overlap” with the assault on Mosul, which began earlier this month. Earlier on Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande warned that many of the ISIS fighters in Mosul could simply sneak out among refugees and relocate to Raqqa, unless the coalition cuts them off. There were up to 6,000 Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) fighters in the Iraqi city before fighting began, while Raqqa, which Carter described as “the nexus of much of [IS] [...]

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