ISIS cornered as Russian-backed Syrian army enters ISIS stronghold in Raqqa

ISIS is getting cornered in their stronghold in Raqqa province because the Russian-backed Syrian army has crossed the border into the heartland of ISIS. There are indications that they have promised to team up with US-backed rebel forces who share a common hatred of Daesh.
This has been reported in dailymail.co.uk dated 5 June 2016.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has said that ISIS was retreating as a result of Russian air strikes but this has not been confirmed either by Moscow or by the Assad regime in Damascus. It seems the Assad regime has agreed to join up with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which is a rebel group dominated by the Kurdish Popular Protection (YPG) militia and that the SDF have 30,000 fighters coming down from Kobani in the north.
In comparison, ISIS has around 5,000 fighters in Raqqa province and the city of Raqqa has been its de facto capital since it was taken in 2014. Now, the Syrian troops plan to take over the Tabqa air base, 30 miles west of the city of Raqqa - that way, they would get an airbase for Russian fighter jets. The short-term objective of the operation is to take over Tabqa and nearby Lake Assad.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org

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