US-backed Kurdish fighters in Syria say they expect to capture ISIL's major stronghold in Raqqa in the north of the country this summer. The militia – called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – has been strengthened by the delivery of heavy weapons from the US military, causing anger in neighboring Turkey which calls SDF a terrorist group.
SDF has also been buoyed by this week's capture of the key town of Tabqa and Syria's largest dam, which is located nearby. There are now no significant ISIL-held urban settlements between the Kurdish forces and Raqqa.
