US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the military campaign to retake the Syrian city of Raqqa from the Islamic State, will commence sometime in the next few weeks, before the likely completion of the current offensive to defeat the extreme Muslim group in their last Iraqi stronghold of Mosul.
“I mean, we know what we’re doing. This is as always a matter when you’re positioning forces and so forth. We have a plan to do that and a schedule to do that. And we’re going to execute to that plan and that plan has us generating those forces in a matter of weeks,” said Carter.
The United States had made its strongest indication yet, earlier this week, that the battle to retake Raqqa from Islamic State could be fast approaching, saying it would “overlap” with the already unfolding assault in Iraq to seize Mosul. Carter has not disclosed the exact timing of the Raqqa campaign but has said preparations were on track.
“And we already are at the point where we’re working extensively with the Turkish military in Syria. Don’t forget, we’re right now doing that. That has had a very significant result in the seizure of Dabiq, a very important city in the narrative of ISIL (Islamic State). And that was accomplished by our partnership with the Turks and in the usual way through capable and motivated local forces. So, we’re looking for other opportunities to and including further within Syria to include Raqqa, and that’s been part of our discussions,” added Carter.