U.S.-Backed Push on Islamic State's Raqqa Stronghold Begins
- Fight will be ‘long and difficult,’ according to U.S. general
- City in Syria has been home to terrorists who attacked West
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U.S.-backed forces in Syria have begun the long-anticipated push to remove Islamic State from its self-declared capital of Raqqa, a city the jihadist group has brutalized since 2013, and used as a base to plot terrorist attacks in Europe.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces and its partners launched their offensive on Tuesday, the U.S. Central Command said in an emailed statement.