Fighters in Syria’s Raqqa prepare for civilian handover

RAQQA, Syria — US-backed forces who captured Raqqa from the Islamic State group prepare Thursday to hand the Syrian city over to a civilian authority, with some of their fighters already headed to the next battle.

Inside the city, positions that had long been manned by fighters of the Kurdish-Arab Syrian Democratic Forces are abandoned, though some remain in the central Al-Naim square, dancing and ululating as they celebrate their victory.

The SDF battled for more than four months, with US-led coalition support, to capture the city that was once the de facto Syrian capital of IS’s self-styled “caliphate.”

They announced the end of combat on Tuesday, though operations to clear explosives and seek out sleeper cells are ongoing.

Raqqa’s capture leaves the jihadists with little remaining territory in Syria, most of it in neighboring Deir Ezzor province, where some SDF fighters are already headed to continue the campaign.

— AFP