Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters ride atop of military vehicles as they celebrate victory in Raqqa. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Reuters: After Islamic State, ruined Raqqa fears new strife
RAQQA, Syria (Reuters) - The morning after Islamic State’s defeat in Raqqa, a local militia fighter stood in a square in the ruined, deserted city center. “There will be more problems here,” he said.
The 19-year-old, who gave his name as Moro, was one of few Raqqa natives to witness the aftermath of the battle for the Syrian city. Victory celebrations by Kurdish forces felt muted - there were no civilians left. It was the “liberation” of a ghost town.
“Daesh is to blame for this,” said Moro, an Arab who joined the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces militia alliance (SDF) to fight Islamic State, known pejoratively as Daesh, after fleeing Raqqa two years before.
“But not everyone will see it that way. If destruction remains, people will blame the coalition, and maybe us.”
The cost of the campaign to oust Islamic State from its former Syrian capital is the destruction of the city, the death and maiming of hundreds of civilians and displacement of tens of thousands.
As the dust settles, Raqqa’s traumatized population fears new violence.
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WNU Editor: The entire city has been utterly destroyed .... there is nothing left to go back to. And while I do expect Raqqa to be rebuilt in the years to come .... the spirit of the city will take generations to return.
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