Government forces evacuate military posts in villages in Syria’s Raqqa
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – On Tuesday, the Syrian government forces evacuated their military posts in seven villages in the southwestern countryside of Raqqa, northern Syria.
The military points that were vacated by the government forces are located in Resafa Desert, about 65 km southwest of Raqqa, a local source of the southern countryside of al-Mansura told North Press.
Emptying seven villages of the government forces came in tandem with al-Sina’a prison incidents, raising residents’ concern about any movements of the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) sleeper cells in the area, the source added.
During the past few years, ISIS sleeper cells have repeatedly attacked government forces’ points in Resafa Desert, south of al-Mansura town, often followed by Russian airstrikes.
A source of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said they have tightened the military measures on borders of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)-held areas in the southwestern countryside of Raqqa.
Preventive measures were taken by the SDF in the vicinity of Raqqa, the Director of the Media Center of SDF, Farhad Shami, announced on Tuesday.
Shami believed that the withdrawal of government forces comes in tandem with ISIS attack on al-Sina’a prison in Hasakah.
“The reasons behind the eviction are doubtful, so forces have taken precautionary measures to prevent ISIS from benefiting from these evictions and posing a threat to the vicinity of Raqqa,” Shami added.