Syrian troops cross past Raqqa borders
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Syrian soldiers preparing to confront terrorist attacks (file photo)
The Syrian army has advanced past the provincial borders of Raqqa which is the headquarters for the ISIL Takfiri terrorist group, a London-based monitor says.
According to Press TV, troops on Saturday entered the Raqqa province for the first time since 2014, when ISIL (Daesh) unleashed its ferocious campaign of terror in the Arab country.
A potential recapture of Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in northern Iraq is seen as the ultimate blow to Daesh. In Iraq, armed fighters have edged as close as 30 km of the capital of Nineveh province.
According to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, government troops were advancing on the Tabqa dam on the Euphrates River, some 40 km from Raqqa, on Saturday.
The advancements followed heavy aerial attacks carried out on Friday in the eastern areas of Hama province which borders Raqqa.
Tal Abyad was cleared of Daesh last year. The town served as a launchpad for ISIL attacks given its proximity to Raqqa.
Earlier in 2016, Syrian forces liberated the ancient city of Palmyra in the sprawling central Homs province.
SS
