The head of the Syrian rebel group the Raqqa Revolutionaries Front has announced in a video uploaded to YouTube that his group will “soon” announce a military offensive on Raqqa, the “capital” of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) terrorist group.
The video, uploaded by the group Raqqa is Being Slaughter Silently, is a message from Abu Issa, the leader of the militia. In it, he declares that the entire province of Raqqa, not just the city, will be treated as a “military zone” by the militia and, presumably, its allies on the ground against ISIS. He also announces that the group is planning a full scale attack on the city.
“We will soon announce zero hour for the beginning of the battle of liberation from oppression and persecution,” he says, warning that the military zone designation requires civilians to “not go near areas where there are Daesh [ISIS] elements.”
“We know that you have waited a long time,” he tells viewers, “as have all Syrians and the rest of the world. It will be a historic battle, first for Raqqa and then for all of Syria.”