Kurdish-led forces say no heavy US weapons received yet

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said it has received light weaponry from the United States, not heavy ones as circulated by some media outlets.


Talal Silo, the military spokesman of the SDF, told Xinhua on Friday that the SDF, backed by the US-led anti-terror coalition, has not yet received heavy weaponry.

He said the group received only light military gears, such as mortar shells and machine guns.

This comes three days after President Trump approved a plan to arm Syrian Kurds so they can participate in the battle to retake Syria's northern province of Raqqa from the Islamic State (IS) group.

Speaking of Raqqa, the de facto capital of IS, Silo said his group is bracing to unleash operation against Raqqa after isolating it completely.

The SDF has recently captured the city of Tabqa and its strategic dam, east of Raqqa, as part of the operation to isolate IS in Raqqa as a prelude to take it.

Silo said the SDF is combing the city in search of explosive devices the IS may have left behind.

Meanwhile, the SDF said in a statement on Friday that it will hand the control of Tabqa over to a civil council in the city, adding that the handover will be done after clearing the city off of the explosives.

It added that the Euphrates Dam in Tabqa is a Syrian institution that will serve all Syrian areas without exceptions.

The statement said that the SDF succeeded to capture the city after a joint airdrop of forces with the coalition near Tabqa on March 21, which was followed by a "precise" operation to capture the city.

For her part, Rojda Villat, another SDF official, reportedly said in a press conference that the military campaign against Raqqa could begin as soon as next month.
 [globaltimes.cn/Xinhua]
13/5/17
-
Related:

• UN 'deeply concerned' over safety of 400,000 civilians fleeing US-led coalition airstrikes in Raqqa
• US commander sees no Kurdish federation in Syria’s future

--

• Turkish Army Officer Rejects Medal From Pentagon, Citing US Support for Kurds
• Mattis Says US Committed to Turkey Security
• Turquía reanuda ataques contra kurdos en Siria tras promesa de EEUU de ayuda a éstos
• L'armée turque va maintenir sa présence militaire en Syrie
• Turkey's "military operation inside northern Syria" [invasion] is over
• International Apathy - Αnesthesia: Turkish Army Continues to Invade more Territories in Northern Syria

--

• Any foreign troops coming to Syria without permission are invaders