Syrian army presses offensive against the so called-Islamic State

The Syrian army pushed into Raqqa province, home to the de facto capital of the so called-Islamic State, after a major Russian-backed offensive against the militants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

The Syrian army pushed into Raqqa province, home to the de facto capital of the so called-Islamic State, after a major Russian-backed offensive against the militants, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Saturday.

The offensive is the third big assault on the self-proclaimed caliphate in recent days after Iraqi forces attempted to storm Falluja in central Iraq and a Syrian troops advanced with U.S. support towards Manbij in the north near the Turkish border.

The offensives are some of the most aggressive campaigns against ISIS since it declared its aim to rule over all Muslims from parts of Iraq and Syria two years ago.

Raqqa city, further east, is ISIS de facto capital in Syria and, along with Mosul in Iraq, the ultimate target of those seeking to destroy the group.

State media has given no indication of how many troops are involved in the offensive, or what weaponry they might be using.