Islamic State militants have set off five car bombs
targeting U.S.-backed Syrian armed groups attacking Raqqa, a
Kurdish source said on Monday, saying the fight to drive IS from
its stronghold city would "not be easy".
The operation by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including
the Kurdish YPG militia, that began on Saturday aims to encircle
and ultimately capture Raqqa, adding to the pressure on IS as it
faces a major assault in Iraq.
Islamic State has also drawn heavily on suicide car bombs in its
efforts to fend off the assault on Mosul by Iraqi forces.
The Kurdish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the
U.S.-led coalition was providing "excellent" air support for the
operation dubbed "Euphrates Anger".
"It is difficult to ... put a time frame on the operation at
present. The battle will not be easy," the source said.
The attack so far appears focused on areas north of Raqqa near
the town of Ain Issa, 50 km (30 miles) away. The Syrian Observatory
for Human Rights, an organization that reports on the war, said the
SDF forces had so far captured a number of IS positions, but there
had been "no real progress".
The Kurdish source said a number of villages had been captured.
"Daesh is resorting to attacks with car bombs to a great degree,"
the source said.
The SDF has been the main partner on the ground in Syria for the
U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, capturing swathes of
northern Syria with coalition air support.
Planning for the Raqqa assault has been complicated by factors
including the concerns of neighboring Turkey, which does not want
to see any further expansion of Kurdish influence in northern
Syria.
Additionally, Raqqa is a predominantly Arab city, and Syrian
Kurdish officials have previously said it should be freed from IS
by Syrian Arab groups, not the Kurdish YPG.
A U.S. official told Reuters in Washington there was "no
available force capable of taking Raqqa in the near future", and
U.S. officials cautioned the process of sealing off and isolating
the city could take two months or longer.