New phase of attack on IS in Syria aims to encircle Raqqa - Kurdish military source

The next phase of a U.S.-backed campaign against Islamic State in Syria aims to completely encircle its stronghold of Raqqa, severing the city from areas held by the jihadist group in Deir al-Zor to the south, a Kurdish military source said on Tuesday. The offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, including the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, got underway in November with the aim of gradually encircling Raqqa city, Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria.