According to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, a U.S.-backed operation by Syrian forces to capture Raqqa from Islamic State will start in the coming "few days," after advances to the outskirts of the city. The assault on Raqqa should pile more pressure on Islamic State’s self-declared "caliphate." The group could face defeat in the Iraqi city of Mosul soon, and is now being forced into retreat across much of Syria, where it holds its last major foothold. The U.S.-led coalition said some three to four thousand Islamic State fighters are thought to be holed up in Raqqa city.
