Syrian force urges Raqqa jihadists to surrender by end-May
BEIRUT - A US-backed alliance of Syrian militias promised on Thursday that no harm would come to Islamic State fighters in Raqqa who turned themselves in by the end of the month, calling on them to lay down their arms ahead of an expected assault on the city.
The Syrian Democratic Forces, which groups Kurdish and Arab fighters, has advanced to within a few kilometres (miles) of Raqqa city at the nearest point, in an offensive that got underway in November to encircle and capture the city.
The SDF, which includes the powerful Kurdish YPG militia, said earlier this month it expects to launch the final assault on Raqqa in early summer. YPG and SDF officials had previously given April start dates for the assault, but these slipped.
The US-led coalition has not declared any time frame for the final assault on Raqqa city, which has served as Islamic State's de facto capital in Syria since the group declared its cross-border "caliphate" in 2014.
