US-backed forces breach wall in Syria’s Raqa

WASHINGTON, D.C.: US-backed forces in Syria have entered the most heavily fortified area of Raqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, in what a US official says is a “key milestone” in the war against the jihadist force.

Success in Raqa and major advances by US-backed forces in Mosul, a second IS stronghold in Iraq, represent a powerful double blow to the violent extremist group.