Talal Silo

U.S.-backed militias said they had defeated Islamic State in its former capital Raqqa on Tuesday, raising their flags over the jihadist group's last footholds in the city after a four-month battle, reported Reuters. 

The United States has no intention to extend its presence in Syria after defeating the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert has said, denying the Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) comments that U.S. forces may remain in the country with long-term intentions. 

Washington’s main Syrian ally in the fight against Islamic State says the U.S. military will remain in northern Syria long after the jihadists are defeated, predicting enduring ties with the Kurdish-dominated region.

Photo: Al-Alam

The mainly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced the start of a long-awaited siege on ISIS stronghold Raqqa, Syria one week after the US confirmed delivery of arms to it.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Arab and Kurdish forces in northern Syria, has received armored vehicles from the US, indicating increased support from Washington under the administration of President Donald Trump.
A small number of vehicles arrived four or five days ago, SDF spokesman Talal Silo told Reuters.