Page 8 - ARUBA TODAY

A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 7 June 2017
US-backed Syrian force attacks IS-held capital of Raqqa

By BASSEM MROUE underway there.
Associated Press Lt. Gen. Steve Townsend,
BEIRUT (AP) — A U.S.- the top U.S. commander in
backed Syrian force said Iraq, said the twin offensives
Tuesday it has begun an against Mosul and Raqqa
offensive to capture the are hurting the Islamic State
northern city of Raqqa, the group’s prestige and ability
de facto capital of the Is- to recruit new loyalists.
lamic State group, after “It’s hard to convince new
months of clearing opera- recruits that ISIS is a winning
tions. cause when they just lost
An American commander their twin ‘capitals’ in both
said the battle will be long Iraq and Syria,” Townsend
and difficult, but success said, referring to IS by an-
would deliver a decisive other acronym.
blow to the idea of IS as a He said U.S.-led coalition
physical caliphate. forces will continue to sup-
By early afternoon, op- port the SDF in Raqqa, pro-
position activists said U.S.- viding equipment, training,
backed fighters were trying Intelligence and logistics as
to break into the city from This March 7, 2017 frame grab from video provided by Arab 24 network, shows U.S. forces patrol- well as precision firepower.
the east, triggering intense ling on the outskirts of the Syrian town of Manbij, in Aleppo province, Syria. U.S.-backed Syrian “We all saw the heinous at-
clashes. forces have launched their attack on the Islamic State group’s de facto capital of Raqqa, in north- tack in Manchester, Eng-
Raqqa was among the ern Syria, just as the jihadist group is making its last stand in Mosul in neighboring Iraq. land,” said Townsend, re-
first cities captured by IS, (Arab 24 network, via AP) ferring to a bombing that
in January 2014, and has begun in coordination with led coalition.” and west, and opposition killed 22 people last month
been the home of some the U.S.-led coalition. SDF fighters began ad- activists have reported in- and was claimed by IS.
of the group’s most promi- “We declare today the vancing toward Raqqa in tense shelling and airstrikes “ISIS threatens all of our na-
nent leaders. The battle for beginning of the great November, capturing wide on the city since Monday tions, not just Iraq and Syria,
the city is expected to be battle to liberate the city of areas of northern Syria from night, which killed at least but in our own homelands
extended and bloody, and Raqqa, the alleged capital the extremists. Last week, 12 people. as well.
could mark a major turning of terrorism and terrorists,” they reached the northern IS militants are not expect- This cannot stand.”
point in the war against the Sillo told a news confer- and eastern gates of the ed to give up easily. Iraqi “The International Coali-
extremists. ence held in northern Syria. city after intense clashes forces launched an offen- tion and our partner forces
Talal Sillo, a spokesman for “Morale is high and military under the cover of U.S.-led sive to capture the north- are steadily dismantling the
the Kurdish-led Syrian Dem- readiness to implement the airstrikes. ern city of Mosul, the larg- physical caliphate of ISIS,”
ocratic Forces, told report- military plan is complete, in Raqqa is currently surround- est held by IS, in October, said Townsend.
ers that operations have coordination with the U.S.- ed from the east, north and heavy fighting is still Continued on page 27

Kuwait tries to mediate crisis between Qatar, Arab nations

By JON GAMBRELL posture at Qatar’s Al-Udeid about the crisis late Mon-
Associated Press Air Base, Trump made a se- day night.
DUBAI, United Arab Emir- ries of tweets calling into Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad
ates (AP) — Kuwait tried question his commitment Al Thani “received a call
to mediate a resumption to the peninsular nation. from the emir of Kuwait ask-
of diplomatic and com- “During my recent trip to ing him to postpone it in
mercial ties between Qa- the Middle East I stated order to give time to solve
tar and several of its Arab that there can no longer be the crisis,” Sheikh Moham-
neighbors Tuesday, while funding of Radical Ideolo- med said.
U.S. President Donald gy,” he tweeted. “Leaders Still, the minister struck a de-
Trump appeared to back pointed to Qatar — look!” fiant tone, rejecting those
those isolating the energy- He later tweeted: “Perhaps “trying to impose their will
rich nation over allegations this will be the beginning of on Qatar or intervene in its
it supports terror groups the end to the horror of ter- internal affairs.”
and Iran. rorism!” The state-run Kuwait News
Qatar long has denied Trump, who traveled to Agency reported that Ku-
funding extremists, and its Passengers of cancelled flights wait in Hamad International Air- Saudi Arabia last month for waiti ruler Sheikh Sabah
foreign minister struck a port (HIA) in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Qatar’s for- a conference of Arab na- Al-Ahmad Al Sabah spoke
eign minister says Kuwait is trying to mediate a diplomatic crisis
defiant tone in interviews, in which Arab countries have cut diplomatic ties and moved tions, had told Qatar’s ruler with Qatar’s emir Monday
even after worried residents to isolate his energy-rich, travel-hub nation from the outside at the time that “we’ve evening and urged him to
emptied grocery stores in world. Airlines suspended flights and residents cleaned out store been friends now for a long give a chance to efforts
its capital, Doha. shelves. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emir- time.” Qatari officials de- aimed at easing tensions.
Qatar relies heavily on food ates said Monday they would cut diplomatic ties. clined to comment. The call came after a senior
imports, especially those (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) In an earlier interview with Saudi royal arrived in Ku-
coming over its only land edented,” said Hatoon al- with Iraq pits several na- Doha-based satellite news wait with a message from
border with Saudi Arabia, Fassi, a Saudi historian of tions against Qatar, home network Al-Jazeera, For- the Saudi king. An Omani
which joined with other key Gulf Affairs and Women’s to some 10,000 American eign Minister Sheikh Mo- diplomat traveled to Qatar
Arab powers Monday in Studies at Qatar University. troops and a major U.S. mili- hammed Bin Abdulrahman on Monday.
cutting off land, sea and air The biggest diplomatic tary base. Al Thani said Kuwait’s ruler Sabah left Tuesday night
routes into the country. crisis in the Persian Gulf While the U.S. military has had asked Qatar’s emir to for Saudi Arabia, where he
“On this scale, it’s unprec- since the 1991 U.S.-led war said it wouldn’t change its hold off on giving a speech met with King Salman.q