France’s optimism on Raqqah recapture far from reality: Russia

Russia has rejected the US-led coalition’s “rosy forecasts” on surrounding and swiftly retaking the Syrian city of Raqqah from Daesh, saying any such victory could only be achieved through concerted cooperation among all parties fighting terror in the Arab state.

According to Press TV, Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, was reacting on Saturday to comments by French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who claimed the “very hard but essential” battle for Raqqah was just days away.

Le Drian had said Friday, “Today, one can say that Raqqah is encircled, that the battle for Raqqa will start in the coming days.”

Konashenkov further said Le Drian’s “optimism” has “no relation to reality or the situation on the ground.”

“It is clear to any military specialist that the liberation of Raqqah will not be a walk in the park for the international coalition,” said the Russian official, adding that the duration and success of a Raqqah battle would depend on coordination among “all the forces fighting international terrorism in Syria.”

Raqqah was one of the first major cities that fell to Daesh in 2013, when the terror group emerged in Syria. The northern city serves as the extremist group’s operational command headquarters.

Syrian government troops, backed up by Russian airpower, have been pushing against Daesh from the west of Raqqah, where up to 4,000 Takfiri terrorists are estimated to be based.

In a separate operation, which began in November 2016, US-backed Kurdish and Arab forces, called the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been squeezing the terror group from the north.

The US has also deployed hundreds of troops to northern Syria to “support “ SDF forces. AFP cited a Pentagon official as saying last week that an additional 1,000 military personnel could be dispatched to the area in the future.

Another party on the Raqqah front is the Turkish military, which is helping a separate group of militants in northern Syria. Ankara and the Washington-led alliance are at odds over the role of Kurdish militias in the Raqqah offensive.

SS