Arab-Kurdish Syrian forces supported by the US-led international coalition continue to advance today towards the northern Iraqi city of Raqqa, the main stronghold of the Islamic State in Syria.
Airstrikes by the US-led coalition killed at least 17 civilians overnight, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The Observatory reported that coalition bombing killed eight civilians on Tuesday and 21 civilians on Monday.
Seven months after the start of the offensive in Raqqa, which enabled the capture of areas in the province of the same name, the Syrian Democratic Forces, made up of Arab-Kurdish fighters, announced on Tuesday that they had embarked on a "big battle" to take over the city itself.
The battle for Raqqa is one of the main war fronts in Syria, which has killed more than 320.000 people since the conflict broke out in March 2011.
A spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said that their troops are making progress and that international coalition forces are working effectively with them on the ground.
The international coalition confirmed that it carried out 22 air strikes on Islamic State positions near Raqqa on Wednesday.
According to earlier statements by the Pentagon, "hundreds" of American soldiers are participating in the offensive on Raku. The US military has deployed artillery near Raqqa to support the Syrian Democratic Forces. American "Apache" helicopters also take part in the fighting.
The extremists seized Raqqa in 2014, and it has become a symbol of the horrors carried out by members of the Islamic State, as well as a base for planning attacks abroad.
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