Syrian Arab Army units captured the line up to Ratla village in Raqqa countryside between 6:45:54 PM and 7:15:41 PM UTC on January 17, 2026, according to locals cited by BarracudaVol1 on X. Unconfirmed reports state army entrances into Ukeyrisha and Ratla villages, placing forces 5 km from Raqqa city center, per the same source. In Al-Mansoura town west of Raqqa, five civilians including a child were killed after an SDF-PKK armored vehicle ran over a gathering of civilians while fleeing the city, as reported by omar_alharir on X during the period. SimNasr posted content related to Al-Mansoura on X within the window. Jihad Issa al-Sheikh, advisor to the presidency for tribal and clan affairs, delivered a speech praising President Ahmed Al-Sharaa's decision to grant full rights and equality to Syria's people, describing it as a moral declaration of citizenship under one flag, according to SimNasr on X. These developments follow Syrian army entries into Tabqa city and advances to Raqqa's southern outskirts Al-Maqs earlier on January 17, as previously reported citing BarracudaVol1 and Raqqa_SL on X.
