Islamic State faces imminent Raqqa defeat, Syrian YPG says

BEIRUT – Islamic State is on the verge of defeat in Syria's Raqqa and the city may finally be cleared of the jihadists on Saturday or Sunday, the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said on Saturday.

"The battles are continuing in Raqqa city. Daesh (Islamic State) is on the verge of being finished. Today or tomorrow the city may be liberated," YPG spokesman Nouri Mahmoud said by telephone.

The YPG dominates the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Arab and Kurdish militias that has been battling since June to defeat Islamic State at Raqqa, which served as the jihadist group's de facto capital in Syria.