In Syria, the US backed forces have fully encircled Raqqa, which serves as the de-facto capital of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.<br/><br/>The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Syrian Democratic Forces(SDF) captured two villages on the southern bank of the Euphrates River, effectively cutting off the last IS escape route. <br/><br/>The Observatory said , SDF cut the last route IS used to withdraw from Raqqa towards territory it controls in the Syrian desert and in Deir Ezzor province. The SDF, backed by U.S. airstrikes, has been battling the Islamic State fighters along the outskirts of Raqqa for several months. It first entered the city in early June and has since captured districts throughout the city.