The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have taken the National Hospital in Raqqa, one of the last remaining bastions of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in its former Syrian capital, Reuters reports, an SDF spokesman said. The SDF is now fighting IS in the area around Raqqa stadium, spokesman Mostafa Bali said.
The SDF is a predominantly Kurdish militant group, controlling large areas in northern Syria. It has been receiving broad military support from the US, and proclaims that fighting IS is its primary goal. The SDF and the Syrian Army, with its allies, are conducting two separate operations in the area, aiming to control the oil- and gas-rich eastern part of Syria.