Dozens of families from Raqqa province, which is mostly controlled by the Islamic State group, have arrived in the Kurdish administered town of Afrin in the northern Aleppo countryside.
Enab Baladi’s correspondent in Afrin said that on Monday morning, May 23, the city received about 750 civilians arriving from Raqqa in anticipation of heavy fighting in the province.
The correspondent said that most of the refugees were Arab and entered Afrin by way of the city of Azaz, after covering long distances from Raqqa to arrive at the eastern Aleppo countryside, and from there the northern countryside.
The battle of Raqqa, which Kurdish groups have promoted alongside the United States over the past few days, aims to expel ISIS from the city through a broad attack carried out by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, with cover and coordination with the international coalition headed by Washington.
ISIS for its part has acknowledged the approaching the battle and has permitted its residents to depart for the nearby countryside, especially after coalition warplanes dropped flyers calling on them to leave.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.