WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Raqqa has been under control of the Daesh, a designated terror group outlawed in the United States and Russia among many other countries, since 2013.
"There is activity north of Raqqa, and my understanding is three villages that were held by ISIL [Daesh] may no longer be held by ISIL at this point," Cook stated. "It continues to be an effort to isolate Raqqa and challenge ISIL in as many ways as possible."
On Tuesday, the SDF announced it had launched an offensive with help from the US-led international coalition against the Daesh to free the northern part of the Syria’s Raqqa province.