Islamic State loses Raqa, backed to Iraq border


A member of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) holding up his group's flag at the iconic Al-Naim square in Raqa today. US-backed forces have today reclaimed Raqa and have backed remaining IS forces towards the border with Iraq. – AFP pic, October 17, 2017.

US-backed forces took full control of Raqa from the Islamic State (IS) today, defeating the last jihadist holdouts in the de facto Syrian capital of their now-shattered “caliphate”.

The victory caps a battle of more than four months for Raqa, and hammers another nail in the coffin of the jihadist group’s experiment in statehood, which has collapsed in the face of offensives in Syria and Iraq.


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