Fighters in Syria have begun a major ground offensive, backed up by US forces, to retake a vital dam near Raqqa, Syria, from ISIS, a US official told CNN Wednesday.
Tabqa Dam is located 25 miles west of Raqqa, ISIS’ self-declared capital, and supplies electric power to a wide area of Syria, according to the US.
The area has been under ISIS control since 2013.
Retaking the dam is considered a vital step in the further isolation of the area around Raqqa and eventually retaking the city.
The US is backing Syrian Democratic Forces and Syrian Arab Forces. US military advisers are also on the ground with the SDF but not necessarily at the front lines, the official said. In addition, Marines are beginning to provide artillery fire support.
US Marines equipped with artillery arrived in northern Syria earlier this month with the goal of accelerating the capabilities of the US-backed Arab and Kurdish forces there.
The Pentagon and Marine Corps declined to confirm the deployment because of security concerns in the region. They also declined to specify the exact location of the forces or how many are there.
A similar deployment last year near Mosul, Iraq, involved several hundred Marines equipped with artillery guns to provide covering fire for advancing forces.
The US believes the pressure on ISIS in Raqqa is working. A US official told reporters on March 8 that intelligence indicates some ISIS leaders and operatives continue to try to leave the city.
There is also US intelligence that indicates the city is laced with trenches, tunnels, roadside bombs and houses and buildings wired to explode, the official said. If correct, it indicates that the US has likely been able to gather intelligence from both overhead surveillance aircraft and people on the ground.
However, the official also noted that “Raqqa will probably not be the final battle against ISIS,” and added that the group still has some personnel dispersed in areas south and east of the city.
ISIS could have as many as 4,000 fighters in Raqqa, according to very rough US estimates, the official said. Since November, the terror group has lost some 3,400 square kilometers around Raqqa, in a wide arc north of the city.