Defense secretary: U.S. and allies to start Raqqa offensive within weeks

An anti-ISIS fighter in Raqqa.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

With the battle for Mosul still underway in Iraq, the U.S. and allies are already looking ahead to their next big fight: taking control of Raqqa, Syria, from the Islamic State.

Raqqa is the terrorist group's de facto capital, and there is a sense of "urgency" in capturing the town, said Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the U.S. commander in Iraq and Syria. "Intelligence feeds tell us there is significant external operations planning taking place, centralized in Raqqa," he said, without elaborating on the plots. The U.S. is still training local forces whose assistance will be needed to take over and hold the city, and also trying to figure out how to get Turkey and Kurdish YPG fighters, known enemies, to work together in the operation.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.