Boots on the ground: Elite U.S. troops are in Raqqa near the Islamic State's front line
By: Shawn Snow, June 9, 2017
WASHINGTON — U.S. special operations forces are on the ground alongside Syrian Kurdish allies in Raqqa where they've begun their advance into the Islamic State's de-facto capital, an important development highlighting how American military muscle will shape what's expected to become a grueling urban campaign.
Some 2,500 ISIS fighters remain inside the city, U.S. officials estimate. On Thursday, Kurdish militia — backed by coalition air power and American combat advisers — seized much of eastern Raqqa's al Mishlab neighborhood and established their first foothold there, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The U.S. military later confirmed its movement.
http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/navy-seals-special-forces-syria-raqqa-islamic-state
