US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces raised flags in Al-Naeem Square in what was the former capital of the Islamic State in Syria, the city of Raqqa. Even though war monitors declared the Islamic State as “completely cleared from the city,” the US military stated that there are about 100 Islamic State fighters still in the embattled city. US Army Colonel Ryan Dillon said, Specifically in Raqqa, with the number of those that have recently surrendered, we estimate there to be perhaps about a 100 ISIS fighters that, you know, could remain in Raqqa. We have not, you know, seen much or heard of much reports of contact since the SDF reassumed their advance into the city after the civilians came out. But we still expect there to be, you know, remnants of ISIS in the city. And we expect there to be pockets of ISIS fighters there, he said. Colonel Dillon further noted that the main challenge at the moment is to deal with clearing all of the explosives and booby traps that were left behind by the Islamic State, to assure a safe environment for Syrian families that are keen on returning to their abandoned homes.
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, SDF, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias, declared the fighting was over and that the alliance has begun clearing the city’s stadium of mines and remaining Islamic State militants.