Isis overruns Raqqa military base
26 July BBC
Fighters from the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis) say
they have overrun a large Syrian military base on the outskirts of the
city of Raqqa.
The Islamist fighters have released images of captured soldiers being
beheaded after the battle for the base.The Syrian army did not confirm
that the base had fallen, but said it was organising a counter-attack.
Isis already controls much of Raqqa province, and recently seized a
swathe of territory in neighbouring Iraq.The group, which has changed
its name to Islamic State, describes the territory under its control in
Iraq and Syria as a caliphate.
The Raqqa base, manned by Division 17 of the Syrian army, is said to
have been captured overnight after coming under siege from Isis
fighters.According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights,
a group that monitors casualties in the conflict, the assault on the
base began with two suicide car bomb attacks.
Meanwhile, Syrian army helicopters attacked Isis positions around the
base.Scores of Isis fighters and government soldiers were killed or hurt
in the attack, the group said.
The base is the largest of its kind in north-eastern Syria, and is
said to be well-stocked with weapons and ammunition.Rivals to Isis
within the Syrian opposition had pointed to the lack until now of major
confrontation over the base, close to the Isis stronghold of Raqqa, as a
sign of collaboration between government forces and the militants.
However, BBC Arabic correspondent Rami Ruhayem says this narrative
has been falling apart in recent weeks as clashes between Isis and the
Syrian army have intensified. |