Ghareeb Hasou, representative for the Western-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, announced that the city of Raqqa will join the Kurdish federalist system in northern Syria after their forces take control of the ISIS stronghold.
In comments carried by the Russian Novosti agency on Thursday, Hasou said that “the Syrian Democratic Forces are leading the operation to liberate Raqqa, and so it is logical that after it is liberated the city will automatically join the democratic federalist regime which the Kurds are working to set up in northern Syria.”
Hasou said the Assad regime cannot “present anything in response,” because the its forces have “not done anything” to combat ISIS in Raqqa.
The representative revealed some details about the plan to storm the northern city, adding that the military operation will be launched in a coordinated fashion from three directions, specifically from Ain Eissa, Tel Abyad, and the “Al Jazira canton.”
He said that basic military operations are currently underway in the northern Raqqa countryside while “Kurdish forces and their allies have cut Raqqa off from the border with Turkey,” noting that “after the end of this preparatory operation, the campaign to storm the city will begin from all the noted directions.”
Talal Salou, a spokesman for the SDF, which is supported by Washington and Moscow, announced that the US-led coalition forces are not preparing to attack Raqqa city at this time.
“We are only mobilizing to liberate northern Raqqa currently, and there are no preparations to liberate Raqqa, except as part of a campaign coming after the end of this campaign,” he said.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
