Syria forces impose ‘curfew’ in Raqa fearing instability, IS

Security forces in Syria’s Raqa announce a two-day curfew starting Sunday, citing instability and fears of Islamic State group attacks in the jihadists’ former stronghold.

But they also use the curfew to act against a rival rebel group in the northern city, according to the targeted faction and a war monitor.

IS was kicked out of its de facto Syrian capital in October by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which then set up police units to secure the city.

The Raqa Internal Security Forces say they had received “information that terrorist groups working on behalf of (IS)… have entered Raqa city to carry out attacks against stability and security.”

It therefore decided to put in place “a state of emergency and a curfew in Raqa city starting at 5:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) on Sunday June 24, 2018, until 5:00 a.m. on Tuesday.”

A monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says 5,000 SDF fighters had been deployed in Raqa and parts of the surrounding province for a huge security operation.

IS lost Raqa after four months of ferocious fighting and bombing by the SDF and the US-led coalition that left the city in ruins.

— AFP