Northern Raqqa offensive

Turkey has proposed using a collaboration of Arab elements from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Free Syrian Army (FSA) in an offensive on Raqqa and the administration of the Manbij region in Syria, a formula which would exclude the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG).

BELGRADE - The Syrian army continues to move into the northern province of Raqqa, home to the de facto capital of the self-claimed caliphate of the Islamic State (IS/ISIS/ISIL) group fighting in Syria and neighboring Iraq.

The army first pushed into Raqqa Saturday.

BELGRADE - The predominately Kurdish 'Syrian Democratic Forces' (SDF) have made further advances in Raqqa province, and are now very close to entering Raqqa city.

A revised effort to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels for the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) will not repeat the same mistakes that doomed a similar program last year, according to the prospective next U.S. commander for the Middle East, Army Gen. Joseph Votel.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) fighters seized a Syrian town back from Kurdish-led forces near Raqqa city on July 6, a group monitoring the war reported, recovering ground near its de facto capital two days after it was pummelled in heavy U.S.-led air strikes. 

Syrian Kurdish fighters and rebel allies overnight seized a key base held by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) north of its Raqqa stronghold, in a new blow for the jihadists.

The father of a Jordanian pilot captured by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Syria pleaded for his son's release on Dec. 25, asking the group to treat him well in captivity as a fellow Muslim.