(20 Oct 2017) Kurdish fighters danced as they celebrated the retaking of Raqqa from the Islamic State group (IS) on Thursday.
Drone footage from the northern Syrian city shows the extent of devastation caused by weeks of fighting between Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Islamic State group (IS) militants.
Entire neighbourhoods are seen turned to rubble, with little sign of civilian life having survived the fighting.
On Tuesday, the Kurdish-led SDF said that military operations in Raqqa have ended and that their troops have taken full control of the city.
The US-led coalition cautioned that the clearing operations would continue, saying some 100 militants may still be hiding in the city.
On Wednesday, the spokesman for the coalition, Col. Ryan Dillon, tweeted that 95 percent of the city is now under full control as clearing operations continue.
The fall of Raqqa marks a major defeat for IS, which has seen its self-styled Islamic caliphate steadily shrink since summer.
IS took over Raqqa, located on the Euphrates River, in 2014 and transformed it into the epicenter of its rule.
The group still holds territory to the south of Raqqa and in Deir el-Zour, as well as smaller pockets elsewhere in Syria and Iraq.
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