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| Kurdish and Sunni Arab fighters launched an operation to seize Raqqa from IS last month |
The US is sending 200 more military
personnel to help fight the Islamic State group in its Syrian stronghold
of Raqqa, the US defence secretary says.
Last month a US-backed coalition of Kurdish and Arab fighters said it had begun an operation to capture Raqqa. The Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) had been gaining ground in areas north of the so-called Islamic State's "capital" in Syria.
Speaking on Saturday at a meeting in Bahrain, Mr Carter said the 200 additional troops would "continue organising, training, equipping, and otherwise enabling capable, motivated, local forces" to take the fight to IS.
A US-led coalition has been fighting IS - mainly through air strikes - in Syria and in neighbouring Iraq.
But the main conflict in Syria pits the government of President Bashar al-Assad - assisted by Russian air power - against rebels backed by Turkey, Gulf states and the US.
One key battleground is Aleppo, once Syria's largest city, where pro-government forces continue their advance in eastern, rebel-held areas.
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"A serious discussion about the future political set-up of Syria" is the only way to achieve peace, Staffan de Mistura told BBC Radio 4's Today.
The only way to win peace and stability in Syria, he continued, was a power-sharing agreement.
Syria's army seized 85% of the rebel-held part of the city in recent weeks.
The intensification in fighting has forced tens of thousands to seek refuge in government-controlled territory.
Russian officials say up to 10,500 left during a temporary humanitarian pause on Thursday alone.
Mr Carter added that Russia, Syria's main ally, had "only inflamed the civil war and prolonged suffering".