U.S. Marines with Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment provide security support during mission on Sept. 9, 2018, at an undisclosed location in Syria. (Cpl. Gabino Perez/Marine Corps)
On December 17, the United States-led coalition conducted an unusual patrol within the city of Raqqa in Syria’s northern region.
The coalition’s patrol, which was escorted by personnel from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), visited Raqqa’s Central Prison, where many captives of ISIS are being held, then moved to the 17th Division base in the northern outskirts of the city.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed in a recent report that the U.S.-led coalition is currently making final preparations to return to Raqqa. The London-based monitoring group said that the coalition had built a helicopter landing pad and barracks in the 17th Division base.
This U.S.-led coalition abandoned all of its bases and positions in Raqqa and neighboring Aleppo to facilitate a Turkish ground operation against the Kurdish-led SDF in October of 2019. The U.S. withdrawal enabled the Turkish military and its proxies to occupy vast parts of the northern Raqqa countryside. It also allowed the Russian military and Syrian government forces to enter the northern and southern countryside of the governorate under a deal with the SDF.
Earlier this week, specifically on December 14, the coalition conducted its first patrol within Raqqa city in more than three years.
The return of U.S.-led coalition forces to Raqqa is likely meant to deter Turkey, who has been threatening the SDF with a new ground operation. Washington has reportedly mounted much pressure on Ankara in order to force it to put its military plans on halt.
The U.S. might be also trying to prevent the Russian military and Syrian government forces from further expanding their presence in Raqqa.
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