BREAKING NEWS

French Defense Minister sees Raqqa battle starting in coming days

By REUTERS

MARCH 24, 2017 10:39

PARIS - A battle against Islamic State to recapture the Syrian city of Raqqa is likely to start in the coming days, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday.

"France has always said that Raqqa was a major objective," Le Drian told CNews television station. "Today, one can say that Raqqa is encircled, that the battle for Raqqa will start in the coming days."

"It will be a very hard battle, but a battle that is going to be of utmost importance," he added.

Earlier this week, the US Pentagon department had said that the US-led coalition against Islamic State had for the first time airdropped local ground forces behind enemy lines near the ISIS-held town of Tabqa in northern Syria, opening up a new front in the campaign to recapture Raqqa.

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