US-backed forces announce great battle to capture Syria's Raqa

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said today they were launching a new phase in their assault on the Islamic State group's bastion Raqa, after advancing to the city's outskirts.
"We declare today the start of the great battle to liberate the city of Raqa, the so-called capital of terrorism and terrorists," SDF spokesman Talal Sello told reporters in the village of Hazima, north of the city.