Fierce clashes as US-backed force battles IS in Syria's Raqa

US-backed fighters battled the Islamic State group Thursday as they tried to push further into the jihadists' Syrian bastion Raqa, two days after finally entering the northern city. The Syrian Democratic Forces alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters began the battle for the city earlier this week after seven months of fighting to surround the jihadist stronghold. On Wednesday, an AFP journalist entered the city with SDF fighters and witnessed heavy clashes in the Al-Meshleb neighbourhood, with IS firing multiple mortar rounds towards the advancing forces.