Exclusive – RBSS
RBSS reporters denied the news – spread through social media – about a state of emergency declared by ISIS after the Kremlin’s announcement about their intention to equip a military operation against Raqqa.
According to media reports, ISIS redistributed its troops around the city trying to protect certain sites from an air or ground strikes possibility.
As reported by several newspapers and sites, ISIS doubled its security surveillance operations inside the city after the increased rate of airstrikes made by the International Coalition. Other reports indicated that ISIS transferred equipments and fighters in and out of the city due to the efforts made by local forces in attempt to get ISIS out of the city.
RBSS reporters stated that the situation in the city has not changed. Hesba patrols are at streets as usual and there is no change in checkpoints numbers or equipments.
Our reporters indicated that ISIS sends troops to the front lines with FSA in the northern suburbs of Aleppo, and this is not new.
Raqqa is in a state of emergency for several months as a result of the advance made by YPG (Kurdish People’s Protection Units) in the northern suburbs of Raqqa and the airstrikes made by the International Coalition over ISIS headquarters.
As to the displacement status, it is within its normal rate. People started to flee out Raqqa last year when the Russian airstrikes started targeting civilian sites. Most of the fled people went to the western or eastern suburbs of the city, some of them went to Idleb in attempt to cross borders towards Turkey.
