BEIRUT U.S.-backed Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State will announce the start date for the final assault on Raqqa city on Tuesday, aiming to oust the militants from their de facto capital in Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Monday.The SDF is an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State. Nouri Mahmoud, a spokesman for YPG – a key element of the SDF coaltion – told Reuters news agency that "forces reached the outskirts of the city, and the major operation will start...in the coming few days."
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) take control of the Baath Dam on the Euphrates, near the ISIL stronghold of Raqqa, and upon doing so, rename it "Freedom Dam".