Battle For The Syrian City Of Raqqa -- News Updates June 25, 2017

Reuters: U.S.-backed Syrian groups take Raqqa district from Islamic State

A U.S.-backed Syrian coalition of Kurdish and Arab groups advanced against Islamic State in the jihadists' Syrian capital of Raqqa on Sunday, taking the al-Qadisia district, they said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began its assault on Raqqa earlier this month after a long campaign to isolate Islamic State inside the city.

It took Qadisia, located in the west of Raqqa, after three days of intense fighting, it said in a statement on one of its official social media feeds.

The SDF has pushed Islamic State from swathes of northern Syria over the past 18 months. Turkey-backed Syrian rebels have also taken territory from it and the Syrian army has this year advanced rapidly against it in desert areas.

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Battle For The Syrian City Of Raqqa -- News Updates June 25, 2017

SDF battle ISIS in fierce clashes in Raqqa's al-Qadisiyah neighborhood -- NRT
Syrian Democratic Forces make new gains in anti-ISIS campaign, capture another district in Raqqa city -- Ara News
Disenchanted families flee Islamic State in Raqqa -- NRT
Amnesty declared for 83 ISIL members in Syria's Raqqa -- Al Jazeera
Amnesty for militants in Syria's Raqqa aims to promote stability -- Reuters
The U.S. Is Destroying Raqqa in Order to Save It, and Civilians Be Damned -- Daily Beast
Raqqa: The desperate fight for Islamic State group's 'capital' -- BBC
I Fled the Islamic State's 'Caliphate' in Raqqa — But Fear Its Liberators -- Foreign Policy
Kurds see chance to advance their cause in ruins of Islamic State -- The Guardian
US road from Raqqa is fraught with strategic uncertainty -- The Australian