Syria: Barrage of U.S. air strikes hit Islamic State's Raqqa stronghold
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 5 July 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Syria: Barrage of U.S. air strikes hit Islamic State's Raqqa stronghold, 5 July 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/55b5f45748.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
July 05, 2015
U.S.-led coalition forces carried out a series of 16 air strikes on July 4 on the Islamic State in its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa, in one of the biggest assaults yet on the militant group.
"The significant air strikes tonight were executed to deny Daesh the ability to move military capabilities throughout Syria and into Iraq," spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Gilleran said, using the Arabic acronym for the group.
"This was one of the largest deliberate engagements we have conducted to date in Syria, and it will have debilitating effects on Daesh's ability to move from Raqqa."
He said coalition forces "successfully engaged multiple targets," destroying structures and transit routes throughout Raqqa, which is considered the capital of the Islamic caliphate declared by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The strikes "have severely constricted terrorist freedom of movement," he said.
The announcement came after the group released a video showing teenage members executing 25 Syrian soldiers in an amphitheater in the ancient ruins of Palmyra.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, meanwhile, reported heavy clashes in several parts of western Aleppo.
Based on reporting by AFP and Fox News
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
