A US-BACKED Syrian force has declared victory over Daesh in its former de facto capital of Raqqa, declaring the city free of any extremist presence.
At a press conference held in the city, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) formally handed over administration of the city in northern Syria to a council made up of local officials and tribal leaders.
Talal Sillo, a spokesman and senior SDF commander, declared: “Our victory is one against terrorism.”
The press conference was held in the city’s sports stadium which Daesh militants had turned into a huge prison, where they incarcerated and tortured their opponents.
Sillo urged the international community and aid organisations to help with the city’s reconstruction.
Drone footage from Raqqa showed the extent of devastation caused by weeks of fighting between Kurdish-led forces and Daesh, as well as thousands of bombs dropped by the US-led coalition.
It shows the bombed-out shells of buildings and concrete slabs piled on streets littered with destroyed cars. Entire neighbourhoods have been turned to rubble.
The video showed entire blocks in the city as uninhabitable, with knocked-out walls and blown-out windows and doors, while some buildings had several storeys turned to piles of debris.
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