Were the rebels to take Raqqa, which has a city and surrounding area population of some 500,000, it would represent a major defeat for the regime and army of President Bashar al-Assad. It is located on the Euphrates river, and 800,000 displaced Syrians have taken refuge there.
The governor of Raqqa province, Hassan Jalili, was reported captured by rebels on Monday. Yesterday, government forces were sent to retake the city, Sharif Shihada, a member of the Syrian parliament, told al-Jazeera television. An online video purported to show rebels toppling a statue of Mr Assad’s late father, former president Hafez al-Assad.
Activists said that rebels, the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, had taken control of most of Raqqa but there were still pockets of resistance, including inside the intelligence building in the city.
US secretary of state John Kerry said in Qatar America continued to support a negotiated settlement to the Syrian conflict but argued that rebel forces need to be strengthened to put pressure on Mr Assad to “change his calculation”.
Speaking at the end of his tour of Europe and parts of the Middle East, Mr Kerry reiterated the Obama administration’s position that Mr Assad had lost legitimacy but remained determined to destroy his country.
Mr Kerry insisted the US supports aid to what it sees as moderates on the rebel side rather than fundamentalist jihadis, notably fighters belonging to the Jabhat al-Nusra, proclaimed a “terrorist” group by Washington. He said he had held discussions with the Qataris and Saudis on what weapons should be provided to which groups.
Qatari prime minister Hamed bin Jassim al-Thani says his country is backing “moderates” and negotiations under the Geneva accord, but his government has been primarily arming fundamentalist groups. – (Additional reporting: Reuters/BBC)
