The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces announced on Tuesday that they had done so Capture of the city of Raqqa From ISIS militants.
Syrian Democratic Forces spokesman Talal Silo said: “Everything is over in Raqqa. Our forces have completely taken control of Raqqa.” Agence France-Presse. Silo added that an official announcement will be made after the completion of operations to remove any remaining sleeper cells and remove land mines in the city.
This step represents a major setback for the Islamic State, which considered Raqqa the de facto capital of the caliphate it declared. It comes in the third holiday As part of global efforts to defeat ISIS.
Raqqa was the first provincial capital to fall from government control March 2013 After the rebel forces took control of it. The army included Syrian opposition groups and more hardline parties, including the Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State.
A civilian government was formed in the city, which split two months later, and less than a year later, ISIS regained control of Raqqa and named it the capital of their caliphate.
About 900 civilians have been killed since the start of the five-month-old operation, including 570 people in coalition air strikes, according to coalition forces. Syrian Network for Human Rights. Based in Britain Syrian Observatory for Human Rights The number of civilian deaths was estimated at 1,130 people. American journalist James Foley He was beheaded in the mountains south of the city.
Syrian Democratic Forces fighters lowered the black flag of the Islamic State from the city’s National Hospital near the city’s stadium, according to Reuters. a report.
Special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, Brett McGurk, said in August that the United States would try to “stabilize” Raqqa — including clearing mines, clearing rubble from main corridors to allow trucks and equipment to pass, and providing “basic electricity and sanitation.” “. and water, which are basic necessities to allow residents to return to their homes.
It is not clear when 300,000 civilians During the operation, those who have fled Raqqa since April will be able to return.