Turkey, U.S. prepared to attack IS capital Raqqa

Following a major military offensive that cleansed Turkey-Syria border of Islamic State militants, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the country’s army is ready to carry out a joint operation with the U.S. forces to drive out the jihadist group from its Syrian stronghold of Raqqa. Erdogan said that the idea was proposed by U.S. President Barack Obama during a recent meeting at the G20 summit in China.

A U.S. official said that the participation of “local forces” would be crucial in dealing a lasting blow to IS and to liberate Raqqa, reports the BBC. Last month, Turkish-backed militia secured the town of Jarablus, killing at least 110 Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters during the operation.

Hundreds of civilians, who had taken refuge in Turkey, began returning to their homes in Jarablus after Islamic State’s retreat from the city, notes Al Jazeera. Saif Abu Bakr, general commander of the Hamza Division, a rebel faction affiliated with the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (F.S.A.) fighters said that some 10,000 civilians are expected to get back to their hometown in near future.

In a separate development, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said that Libyan-forces, backed by U.S. air strikes, will shortly seize IS positions in the city of Sirte, writes Reuters. Loss of Sirte will be a major blow to the jihadist group, which has suffered a series of territorial setbacks in Syria and Iraq in recent months.