US-backed forces on doorstep of IS-held Syria town

US-backed fighters have advanced to the edge of a key jihadist-held town in northern Syria, a monitor said yesterday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an Arab-Kurdish alliance supported by US-led coalition air strikes and special forces advisers, surrounded Tabqa in early April.

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The town and nearby major dam are considered a key prize in a broader offensive for Raqa, the de facto Syrian capital of IS's self-proclaimed "caliphate", about 55 kilometres (34 miles) to the east.

SDF fighters "are now hundreds of metres (yards) from Tabqa", said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group.