The long delayed battle to capture Raqqa is imminent after the United States formally announced that it has begun to arm the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the coalition’s premier ally in the war against the Islamic State in Syria.
An official from the Syrian Defense Forces (SDF), the umbrella group that brings together the YPG and its Arab allies from the Syrian Arab Coalition (SAC), told Al-Monitor that the offensive will begin in the coming weeks. “It's unlikely, but … maybe even tomorrow [June 2],” the SDF official said.