Syria: Top ISIL Treasury Official Escapes from Raqqa

Local sources said that Hatim al-Utaybi, a Saudi national, has stolen the entire money, gold and other precious jewelry of the Takfiri group and has left Raqqa for an unknown destination.

Military sources said last week that the Syrian Army troops and popular forces’ rapid advances and their race towards the ISIL-held city of Raqqa from different directions testifying that the ISIL was on the verge of a complete fall in Syria.

“The ISIL now faces a serious threat to its capital, Raqqa city,” the sources said, adding, “However, the more immediate objective seems to be the capture of al-Tabaqa Airbase or a push Northwards to the Euphrates River; the latter move would have all ISIL-held areas in the Aleppo province cut off from the ISIL mainland.”

“In the past week, about 100 ISIL fighters have been killed in Western Raqqa while government forces have advanced 45 kilometers along the Ithriya-Raqqa road,” the sources added.

“With the ISIL capital under increasing pressure, the group’s commanders are forced to prioritize their scarce manpower between the Manbij frontline and the Western Raqqa frontline,” they went on to say.