U.S.-backed Syrian militias cut the last main road out of ISIS -held Raqqa on yesterday, severing the highway between the group's de facto capital and its stronghold of Deir al-Zor province, a militia spokesman said. The development, confirmed by a British-based organization that monitors Syria's war, marks a major blow against ISIS , which is under intense military pressure in both Syria and Iraq. It is losing ground to three separate campaigns in northern Syria - by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militias, by the Russian-backed Syrian army, and by Turkey and allied Syrian rebels. "Cutting the road between Raqqa and Deir al-Zor means that practically the encirclement of the Daesh capital is complete by land," a Kurdish military source told Reuters, adding that the only remaining way out of the city was south across the Euphrates River. "It is a big victory but there is still a lot to accomplish," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The SDF is an alliance of militias including the Kurdish YPG and Arab groups. It launched a campaign in November to encircle and ultimately captureISIS's base of operations in Raqqa city, with air strikes and special forces support from a U.S.-led coalition. Further west, the Syrian army has made its own, rapid progress against ISIS in the past few weeks, advancing east from Aleppo city toward the Euphrates. The Syrian army last week captured the ancient city of Palmyra from ISIS - an operation Russia said it had planned and overseen.
