IS declares state of emergency in Syria stronghold: U.S. official

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. military officials are closely watching social media and news reports that say the Islamic State believes it may soon come under siege in Raqqa, Syria, its self-declared capital, CNN says.

"We have seen this declaration of emergency in Raqqa, whatever that means," Col. Steve Warren, the spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, told reporters Friday. "We know this enemy feels threatened, as they should."

Media reports have indicated that IS is moving personnel around the city and trying to put up covers in certain areas to shield potential targets from airstrikes and ground attacks.

"They see the Syrian Democratic Forces, along with the Syrian Arab Coalition, maneuver both to their east and to their west," Warren said. "Both of these areas are becoming increasingly secure, and the Syrian Democratic Forces increasingly able to generate their own combat power in those areas."

The coalition believes IS is now responding to those maneuvers, CNN says.

"We've had reports of ISIL repositioning both their combat capabilities, I guess what they think may be coming next," Warren said, using another name for IS. "And we've seen reports of them repositioning personnel ... either within the city or even out of the city."

U.S. military also note the movement of fighters who have been well dug in throughout Raqqa could give overhead surveillance aircraft an improved chance of finding and targeting them.