Raqqa liberation critical milestone against ISIS: Rex Tillerson

The US lead the 73-member Global Coalition that supported this effort, which has seen ISIS’s so-called caliphate crumble across Iraq and Syria.

“Our work is far from over but the liberation of Raqqa is a critical milestone in the global fight against ISIS, and underscores the success of the ongoing international and Syrian effort to defeat these terrorists,” Tillerson said as he congratulated people of Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces including the Syrian Arab Coalition.

“ISIS’s loss of Raqqa does not mean our fight against ISIS is over,” he said.

Tillerson said the Global Coalition will continue to draw on all elements of national power – military, intelligence, diplomacy, economic, law enforcement, and the strength of its communities – until all Syrians are liberated from the ISIS’ brutality and it can ensure that it can no longer export its terror around the world.

“The Coalition will continue its relentless campaign to deny ISIS safe haven anywhere in the world, and sever its ability to recruit, move foreign terrorist fighters, transfer funds, and spread false propaganda over the internet and social media. We are confident that we will prevail and defeat this brutal terrorist organisation,” he said.

Tillerson said while the US continues the fight to ensure ISIS is defeated militarily in Syria, the country and other Coalition members are making every effort to remove explosives left by the terror outfit and take critical humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations.

“We are also supporting the efforts of the Raqqa Civil Council and other local Syrian actors to re-establish basic security and deliver essential services to stabilise communities, refurbish schools, and help facilitate the safe and voluntary return home of displaced Syrians,” he said.

Raqqa was occupied by the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was embroiled in a destructive civil war before being seized by the ISIS in January 2014, the time when the city was declared the capital of the terrorist group’s so-called “caliphate”.

During the civil war in Raqqa, the local population lived in a cross-fire of destruction brought about by continuous conflict between the Syrian regime and the opposition.

Under ISIS, Raqqa became a magnet for foreign terrorists. Residents were forced to live under a brutal regime that routinely carried out public executions, extortions billed as “taxation,” and forced conscriptions, the Pentagon said.

In a separate statement, Pentagon said the ISIS used its three-plus year occupation to convert Raqqa into a fortified military prison.

The terrorist group used hospitals, mosques, schools and otherwise-protected sites as cover for the planning, execution and support of military operations.

The ISIS also committed violations of human rights for which individuals will be held accountable. Raqqa was a key location for the ISIS’s planning, financing, execution or inspiration of terrorist activities throughout the world, including attacks in Paris, Brussels, Nice, Manchester, it alleged.

The fight to liberate Raqqa commenced with Coalition Strikes against the ISIS in support of the ground assault by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) June 6.

By September 3, the SDF had made significant gains and secured the Ancient Mosque in the old city center. This prevented the mosque from succumbing to the same fate as the Al Nuri Mosque in West Mosul, Iraq, which the terrorists destroyed in June 2017.

“An ethnically diverse force with local elements leading the fight, the SDF conducted a highly effective, professional operation in a difficult urban area to free the city,” said Coalition director of Operations, Brigadier General Jonathan Braga.

“They fought tenaciously and with courage against an unprincipled enemy, taking great care to move the population trapped by Daesh (ISIS) away from the battle area and minimise civilian casualties,” Braga said.

While symbolic, the SDF’s liberation of Raqqa does not mean the end of ISIS terrorism, the Pentagon said.

“The military defeat of Daesh is essential, but not sufficient,” said Coalition commander Lt General Paul E Funk II.

“We are still fighting the remnants of Daesh in Iraq and Syria, and will continue to facilitate humanitarian efforts assisting citizens adversely affected by a brutal occupation, who face a long battle to gain their freedom. A tough fight still lies ahead,” he said.

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