13 May 2016•Update: 22 May 2016
By Michael Hernandez
WASHINGTON
Daesh has begun preparations for a potential offensive on its self-declared capital in Syria, the U.S.-led coalition said Friday.
“We have seen this declaration of emergency in Raqqa,” coalition spokesman Col. Steve Warren told reporters via Skype from Baghdad.
“We know this enemy feels threatened, as they should.”
Warren pointed to approaching forces from the Syrian Arab Coalition and the Syrian Democratic Forces as they make inroads to the east and west of Raqqa, Daesh’s de facto Syrian capital.
“Both of these areas are becoming increasingly secure,” Warren said, referring to the Tishrin Dam west of Raqqa and Shaddadi to the city’s east. “And the Syrian Democratic Forces are increasingly able to generate their own combat power in those areas.”
Daesh has reportedly been seeking to fortify Raqqa in preparation for a potential offensive on the city. “ISIL understands that their days are increasingly numbered. We are going to continue to keep this pressure on them and we expect to see them collapse eventually,” he said referring to an alternative name for Daesh.
The group captured the city in early 2014 and rumors have persisted that its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is holed up there.
