Kurdish-led forces have massed thousands of fighters as part of a military offensive to take over Raqqa, the northern Syrian city controlled by the Islamic State (IS) group for more than two and a half years, Al Jazeera reported.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of armed groups led by the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), said it has mobilized thousands of fighters in the countryside north of Raqqa.
Fighting was reportedly ongoing on Tuesday near Ain Issa, situated 55km from the IS-controlled city.
SDF released a statement declaring its goal of "liberating" Raqqa from IS, which has ruled the town with an iron fist, committing atrocities against the civilian population.
The US-led coalition against IS was supporting the offensive, spokesman Steve Warren said.
"We have always been focused on evicting IS from Raqqa and we will continue to support the SDF as they conduct ground operations to further isolate the city," the colonel said.
"The US-led coalition will continue to provide air support for SDF operations against IS".