ISIL retakes key neighborhood from US-backed forces in Syria's Raqqa

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ISIL recaptured the most important neighborhood fallen recently to the US force in Syria's northern city of Raqqa, a monitor group reported on Friday.

The ISIL militants succeeded Friday in retaking the al-Sina'a neighborhood after launching a counter-offensive on the areas taken by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) a day earlier, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog group said the neighborhood is the most important as it's adjacent to the central old part of Raqqa city, which enabled the SDF to infiltrated to the depth of the city.

A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter in Raqqa, at Tal Abiad, Syria June 23, 2017. /VCG Photo

The SDF and allied forces retreated to the outskirts of the Mashlab neighborhood, the first neighborhood they captured in Raqqa, since they launched a major offensive against ISIL in that city, which is regarded as the de facto capital of ISIL.

The SDF and other US-backed forces are now working to fortify their positions in Mashlab, as the ISIL unleashed the counteroffensive in Mashlab and Sina'a in eastern Raqqa.

The observatory said the US-led coalition failed to quell the offensive of ISIL, following intense airstrikes on the area.

It added that the ISIL militants carried out three suicide bombings at the beginning of their counteroffensive on Thursday, which enabled them to make the breakthrough Friday.

(Source: Xinhua)

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