[BeauBo]

This source is approved by the Iranian regime, so don't take it as gospel, but they are close to the situation.

Their story is that the US colludes with ISIS, allowing their leadership to retreat, while they send their local Syrian recruits to hold back the assault from the North.

The largely Kurdish SDF continues to advance on the ISIS "capital" of Raqqa, several miles per day, liberating villages and farms, and killing scores of ISIS.

Pictures of purported US Special Operators with them, wearing YPG (and YPJ!) patches have been posted on twitter - probably calling in the air strikes and gathering intel.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Their story is that the US colludes with ISIS, allowing their leadership to retreat, while they send their local Syrian recruits to hold back the assault from the North.

...feeding them to starving dogs if they retreat too quickly.

[2banana]

The end of the beginning

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Rats leaving a sinking ship...

[bkopto]

ISIL Leaders Escaping Raqqa to Mosul

Of course they did. Bath House ordered the dropping of leaflets on them a few days ago, warning them.

[sockmonkey]

Remember this?

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3369230/posts

[MarvinStinson]

What is ISIL?

[Enchante]

"....ISIL is transferring its heavy weapons and equipment...."

I don't understand how/why we allow them to move around at all with military vehicles, artillery, etc.... Don't we have control of the skies?? We should be able to destroy almost anything that moves if we want to.....

[Cronos]

I'm not sure I understand this -- Mosul is closer to Kurdish territory, so why would they advance on Raqqa?

Also, the Kurds have been very careful to only fight for Kurdish majority areas, this is being pragmatic as they don't want to fight for Arabs (Kurds are an Irani people) and also if they DID move into Arab territory, it would cause bad blood

[odds]

Totally agree about Fars News being an Iranian regime mouthpiece.

“Their story is that the US colludes with ISIS, allowing their leadership to retreat, while they send their local Syrian recruits to hold back the assault from the North.”

My understanding is that it isn’t so much about the US colluding directly with ISIS - it’s high risk. After all, even Assad’s regime has at least economic or trade relations (be it under the table and out of necessity) with ISIS leadership occupying parts of Syria last few years.

It is more about not defining who those Islamic-Arab “rebels or moderates” are. In that part of the world, as am sure you know, loyalty is fleeting. And, loyalty is very often based on 4 factors + 1:

1. Ethnicity & identity
2. Religion (sect)
3. Language
4. Money
5. Fear