Activists from Raqqa say the arctic Syrian city's estimated 350,000 association are absorbed by fear, ashamed by able Russian and French airstrikes that agitate the city-limits circadian and afraid they would be trapped with boilerplate to go amidst signs of a looming arena aggression by U.S.-allied Kurdish and Arab armament in Syria.
For months, those armament accept been advancing gradually against Raqqa with abetment from American-led airstrikes, capturing IS-held towns to the arctic and east of the city. Afterwards IS claimed albatross for Friday's annihilation in Paris that dead at atomic 129 people, there are calls for even stronger activity in Syria.
Iraqi intelligence admiral this anniversary told The Associated Press that the operation was planned in Raqqa, area the attackers were accomplished accurately for this operation with the ambition of sending them to France. The attacks came anon afterwards IS claimed the downing of a Russian even in Egypt and baleful suicide bombings in Lebanon and Turkey.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday appropriate Raqqa would be the new focus.
"My faculty is that everybody understands that with Lebanon's attacks, with what's happened in Egypt, with Ankara, Turkey, with the attacks now in Paris, we accept to footfall up our efforts to hit them at the amount area they're planning these things," he said afterwards his affair with French President Francois Hollande Tuesday.But the extremists are digging in to accomplish any abeyant advance as arduous as possible. The city, which they accept captivated back aboriginal 2014, lies on the Euphrates River at an circle of above routes from all directions, a lot of through agronomical areas crisscrossed by canals and tributaries of the river. The abutting armament from the U.S.-backed Kurdish-Arab affiliation alleged the Democratic Armament of Syria are 50 kilometers (30 miles) to the arctic in the boondocks of Ein Issa.
Activists say the militants accept been dispatch up defenses of Raqqa back backward October, afterwards the Democratic Armament launched their attack vowing to balance the city. Shortly afterward, IS banned humans abrogation the city-limits and activists said it has stepped up administration of the ban in the accomplished few days, arch to fears the accumulation intends to use civilians as animal bouncer in approaching fighting.
To abstain getting hit in their bases, the fighters accept confused into residential neighborhoods in alone homes alone by humans who fled Raqqa earlier, said an activist from Raqqa. He batten on action he be articular alone by the name he uses in his political activism, Khaled, for aegis reasons.
"There is above abhorrence in the city, abnormally with Daesh preventing civilians from abrogation the city," Khaled said, application the Arabic acronnym for the group.
Khaled, who now lives in Turkey, is in blow with Raqqa residents. Raqqa association could not be accomplished because of an IS ban on clandestine internet admission beyond Raqqa.
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