20-05-2024 03:37 PM Jerusalem Timing

Kurdish Forces Make Gains in Raqqa Province, Enter Tal Abyad

Kurdish Forces Make Gains in Raqqa Province, Enter Tal Abyad

The Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Syria made considerable advances in Raqqa province on Monday, entering Tal Abyad city which borders Turkey.

FighterThe Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) in Syria made considerable advances in Raqqa province on Monday, entering Tal Abyad city which borders Turkey.

The YPG forces moved towards the town of Tal Abyad after taking control of the town of Suluk, a few kilometers to the Southwest of Tal Abyad, from the ISIL earlier this morning.

The Kurdish forces started their operations to take control of Tal Abyad from three different directions.

The YPG has made a determined push into Raqqa province from neighboring Hasaka where it has driven ISIL from wide areas of territory since early May.

On Sunday, a YPG statement said that its fighters had encircled Suluk.

It said that the ISIL terrorists have lost control over Suluk and Kurdish forces were advancing toward Tal Abyad.

It also said the road linking Tal Abyad with Raqqa was under YPG control.

The loss of Suluk and Tal Abyad would be a major blow to the ISIL group.

The border towns are major avenues for commerce for the extremist group -- through which it smuggles in foreign fighters and sells black-market oil. The city is also a key link between Turkey and the Northern Syrian city of Reqqa, the de-facto capital of the ISIL group's self-declared caliphate.

For the YPG, dislodging ISIL from Tal Abyad would help them to link up Kurdish-controlled areas of Syria in Hasaka province and Kobani.