Route to Raqqa dotted with discarded veils, burned cars

MAZRAAT TISHREEN, Syria — Dozens of black veils dotted a freshly laid sand berm in northern Syria, ditched by women fleeing the Daesh terror group's bastion of Raqqa as US-backed fighters close in.

Outside the village of Tishreen Farms, 17 kilometres north of Raqqa, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could be seen laying sandbags to protect themselves from Daesh car bombs and snipers.

With air support from the US-led coalition, the alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters has seized swathes of territory from the extremists, who were stationed less than a kilometre away.

SDF fighters told AFP that women hastily shed their Daesh-mandated black veils after crossing into SDF territory near Tishreen Farms, revealing vibrant, patterned robes underneath.

"Most of the women tear off their robes and burqas as soon as they arrive at our positions," an SDF fighter said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Some of the women stomp on the robes because they finally feel safe and are finished with Daesh," he added.

Thousands of civilians have been smuggled out of Raqqa and surrounding territory in recent weeks.

Ahmad, who fled Raqqa to a village near Tishreen Farms, told AFP that he was one of the lucky ones.

He managed to escape despite Daesh’s brutal measures to block residents from leaving. 

"Daesh is using the civilians as human shields to protect itself," said the man in his 30s.

"We fled as part of a group two days ago, and a Daesh sniper shot and killed two of us."

In Tishreen Farms, male and female SDF members worked to fill an underground tunnel they say extremists used to avoid coalition air strikes as they transported supplies and ammunition throughout the area.

Daesh has used that tactic — as well as weaponised drones and car bombs — to defend territory across the so-called "caliphate" it declared in 2014.

The SDF launched its fight for Raqqa in November, just a month after US-backed forces in neighbouring Iraq announced an offensive for Daesh’s other main stronghold, Mosul.

Both assaults have received crucial support from the US-led air coalition bombing the extremists.

The bodies of alleged Daesh fighters were still visible around Tishreen Farms, along with destroyed vehicles on the side of the road that testified to the heavy strikes that targeted the area.

One SDF fighter told AFP that coalition raids had killed "most of the IS [Daesh] fighters present in these villages".

"Others were killed during our combing operations... IS has lost a huge part of its defensive capabilities. The fight isn't as intense," he said.

As it faces mounting pressure, Daesh has lashed out in other areas — including multiple suicide attacks near a refugee camp on the Syrian-Iraqi border on Tuesday that left at least 46 people dead. 

The SDF has already seized most of Raqqa province as part of its "Wrath of the Euphrates" campaign, named after the major river that cuts across the northern part of Syria.

At their closest point, they are just 8 kilometres from Raqqa city.

SDF spokesman Talal Sello said SDF fighters were still working on fully besieging the city, after which they would launch the final phase of the campaign.

"As our troops get closer and closer to Raqqa city, the number of soldiers and advisers from the international coalition continues to increase," Sello told AFP.

The US has dispatched about 900 troops to Syria to help train and advise the SDF, as well as a Marine artillery unit.

Ahmad Al Hassan, a clean-shaven local SDF commander, said the US-led coalition "has provided the SDF with special weapons including artillery, tanks, anti-tank missiles".

 Like many SDF fighters, he wore a scarf around his head to protect from the reddish dust in the air from an incoming sandstorm. 

The SDF would fully liberate the city in coordination with the coalition, Hassan said, but "Raqqa will only be for its people."