Turkey Says U.S.-Backed Assault to Retake Raqqa Begins
- U.S. doesn’t confirm assault launched to expel Islamic State
- Turkey says operation on self-declared IS capital began June 2
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Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the U.S.-backed operation to drive Islamic State from its Raqqa stronghold in Syria has begun, state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The offensive started on the night of June 2 and the U.S. notified Turkey beforehand, Yildirim told reporters, Anadolu said on Sunday. U.S. Army Colonel Ryan S. Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S.-backed coalition against Islamic State, said the Syrian Democratic Forces who would lead the offensive had closed a ring around Raqqa, but he did not confirm the assault had started.