British Defense Minister Expresses Hope for Raqqa Operations to Begin After Its Siege by Spring

The British Defense Minister has expressed hope that the siege of Raqqa, the main center of the so-called 'Islamic State' in Syria, will be completed by the upcoming spring, after which operations to liberate the city will commence. Michael Fallon, the British Defense Minister who visited Iraq, made these remarks on February 11 in the Kurdistan region. According to Fallon, Western-backed rebels are making progress, and the complete siege of Raqqa could initiate the final operations to capture it. The operations of the Western-backed rebels to retake Raqqa are being conducted with air support from the US-led coalition and the 'Syrian Democratic Forces.' The 'Syrian Democratic Forces' are mainly composed of Kurdish YPG militants, which Turkey views as a branch of the PKK and a 'terrorist' group. The US has rejected these connections and does not consider this group 'terrorist.' Fallon's recent statements regarding Raqqa come as Turkish-backed rebels and the Turkish army have entered parts of the city of al-Bab after its siege. Syrian army forces have also positioned themselves south of al-Bab. Al-Bab, located near Aleppo and the Turkish border, holds significant importance for both the Syrian central government and Ankara. Previously, last week, General Stephen Townsend, the commander of US forces in Iraq, expressed hope that the complete capture of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, and the liberation of these two important cities from ISIS control, would conclude 'within the next six months.' These two cities, along with large parts of Syria and nearly one-third of Iraq, were seized by this extremist group during its extensive advances in 2014.