The full throttle assault on Syria’s Raqqa has raised hopes of the Islamic State being trounced after years of tormenting civilians and killing security forces. After its fall, Raqqa will become a symbol of the egrergious designs of an extremist group that tried to create a so-called Caliphate to twist faith and distort history so as to gain from the circumstances. The Islamic State has not only been playing a bloody game in the region for years, it has affected society in ways that will be hard to reverse.
The terrorist group has taken advantage of the Syria tangle, which has become a putrid mire of issues and questions haunting not only the West Asian nation but the larger Middle East.
Half of Syria’s population has been displaced by the war, with Turkey hosting more than two million refugees and Lebanon and Jordan together taking in a few hundred thousand. The summers are harsh but somehow manageable for the families and children with some cooling and shelter, but the winters turn deadly for those staying in tents and makeshift shelters. The young and old are the worst sufferers when temperatures drop sharply in the region spanning Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
Those who survived have gory tales to tell while those who didn’t have become another statistic.
Aleppo, the largest city and the citadel of culture of Syria, was a showpiece of the country. The war almost destroyed the heritage of the city. Before the war, tourists visiting Syria had Aleppo as a ‘must-visit’ spot.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, is fighting the last battle for Raqqa. SDF yesterday vowed to continue the battle as “until the whole city is clean” with its spokesman saying that no more than 200-300 foreign militants remained to fight on in the city.
Under the withdrawal deal between Islamic State and tribal elders, the jihadists would let all other civilians trapped in Raqqa have safe passage out of the city. Raqqa’s fall to the SDF seemed close after four months of battle corralled Islamic State militants into a small part of the city.
The US-led international coalition is backing the SDF in the war against Islamic State with air strikes and special forces. Raqqa was the first big Syrian city that Islamic State had seized. The city became a hub of operations for the terrorist group.
The Islamic State has been hit hard recently and senior leaders of the group are licking their wounds after they lost swathes of territory. The retaking of Raqqa will herald a new dawn for rebel forces and likely bring to an end to the hubris that has been so characteristic of the jihadists.
