U.S.-backed forces battle ISIS around the edges of Raqqa’s Old City

 As U.S.-backed forces press farther into Raqqa, the Islamic State’s stronghold in ­Syria, human rights groups pleaded Tuesday for the safety of thousands of residents still trapped in the city.

The Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, have made swift progress since entering the city last week, despite a U.S. military assessment that the battle ultimately would be “long and difficult.”

Residents reported heavy shelling Tuesday as the SDF fought around the edges of Raqqa’s Old City. The area is fortified by 8th-century walls, a reminder that it was once the capital of the Abbasid caliphate.

Satellite images taken May 20 appear to show that the militants had erected relatively few defenses on the road to the Old City. In an interview with Al Jazeera, an SDF fighter said his unit was attempting to clear the area of booby traps and Islamic State snipers.

[Civilians killed in airstrikes on Islamic State-held town, monitors say]

Human Rights Watch issued a plea to the U.S.-backed forces to do all they can to protect the tens of thousands of civilians believed to be trapped inside the city. 

source:AFP