WEEKLY UPDATE
November 11, 2016
Dear Readers,Welcome to the weekly Syria Deeply newsletter. We’ve rounded up the most important stories and developments concerning Syria and the Syrians in order to bring you valuable news and analysis. But first, here is a brief overview of what happened this week:The battle for Raqqa, the de-facto capital of the so-called Islamic State, began on Sunday. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab opposition groups backed by the United States, is leading the first phase of the operation against ISIS militants.The U.S.-led coalition is coordinating airstrikes on Raqqa with SDF fighters on the ground. At least 20 civilians were killed in coalition airstrikes on a town north of Raqqa, including nine women and two children. SDF forces took control of six villages north of Raqqa city in the first 24 hours and have seized a total of 17 villages since the offensive began.Last week, Turkey said it would also participate in the battle against ISIS in Raqqa. However, on Monday, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that it is “naive” to use Syrian Kurdish SDF fighters in the operation. After a meeting between NATO members in Ankara later that day, chair of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford said that Turkey and the U.S. would work together “on the long-term plan for seizing, holding and governing Raqqa … We always knew the SDF wasn’t the solution for holding and governing Raqqa.”As U.S.-led coalition and U.S.-backed forces fight for control of Raqqa, the Syrian government and its allies have stepped up attacks in the Damascus countryside. In Eastern Ghouta, government airstrikes on a kindergarten in the opposition-controlled town of Harasta killed at least six children on Sunday. Later in the week, several airstrikes on the opposition-controlled city of Douma and the town of Saqba in Eastern Ghouta killed at least 12 people.

Weekly Highlights:

Analysis: How Civilians Will Lose in the Battle Against ISIS in Raqqa

As the U.S.-led offensive against ISIS pushes fighters out of Mosul into Syria, a similar offensive has begun against militants in Raqqa, but that’s not likely to stop them from mounting attacks, writes journalist Mohamad Bazzi.
Iraq’s elite counterterrorism forces gather ahead of an operation to retake the Islamic State-held city of Mosul, outside Erbil, Iraq. Simultaneous attacks are taking place on the Islamic State-held cities of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa, the de facto ISIS capital in Syria. AP/Khalid Mohammed, File

Wheelchair Race Gives Hope to Injured in Besieged Eastern Ghouta

Amid the rubble in the Damascus suburbs, a wheelchair race sheds light on the growing number of people with lifelong injuries caused by the conflict in Syria, and survivors’ attempts to reengage with a war-ravaged community.
Men compete in a wheelchair race in the streets of Eastern Ghouta. Syrian Revolution Network

Long Read: Why Khan Eshieh Palestinian Camp Could Be the Next Yarmouk

As fighting intensifies in the area around Syria’s Khan Eshieh – the so-called “camp of return” – and UNRWA draws parallels with the Yarmouk camp in Damascus, thousands of Palestinian refugees who call Khan Eshieh home face displacement for a second time.
Residents of the besieged Palestinian camp of Yarmouk in Damascus, Syria, queue to receive food supplies. UNRWA via AP, File

Additional Reading:

Top image: U.S.-backed fighters taking a rest during fighting with the Islamic State group near Ein Issa, north of Raqqa, Syria. Qasioun, a Syrian Opposition Media Outlet, via AP

Author: Impunity Watch Archive