At the height of the Syrian Civil War, a group of forces came together to reclaim the northern region of Raqqa from the Islamic State. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who were largely comprised of Kurdish fighters, led the offensive.
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What was the Northern Raqqa Offensive?
On November 6, the SDF captured six small villages: Wahid, Umm Safa, Wasita, Haran, al-Adriyah and Jurah, south and southeast of Ayn Issa. This cleared the path for the Kurdish fighters to take the rest of Raqqa.
Was the U.S. involved in defeating ISIS?
The offensive was launched in coordination with airstrikes in the area by the U.S.-led Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. To avoid conflict between Kurdish ethnic groups and Raqqa’s majority Arab population, U.S. special forces also trained more than 200 Arab fighters to take part in the offensive.
The coalition descended upon Raqqa, where they faced ISIL fighters who used human shields and dug tunnels to evade the SDF. ISIL’s fighters were overpowered by the 30,000 strong invasion force, and the SDF successfully liberated 23 villages and farms before the offensive was over.
