The battle of Raqqa, in Syria, enters its final phase. An agreement has been reached for the evacuation of civilians and the surrender of non-foreign Isis fighters.
The final assault to liberate the last neighbourhoods of the Syrian city of Raqqa still in the hands of Islamic State jihadists is about to be launched. The Syrian Democratic Forces – an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters that has long been besieging the urban centre – managed over the course of the weekend to complete the evacuation of numerous civilians who had until now been used by Isis as human shields.
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"We have now reached the final phase of the battle," declared Jihan Cheikh Ahmed, according to reports in the international press, adding that "the fighting will continue until all the terrorists who refuse to surrender have been defeated." The number of Islamic fundamentalists present in Raqqa is, however, ever diminishing: on Saturday an agreement was reached with the Syrian jihadists, under which those who lay down their arms were guaranteed safe corridors to leave the besieged neighbourhoods. The militants were thus able to board buses and left the area in the direction of the province of Deir Ezzor, where Isis still controls some territory.
According to Talal Sello, spokesman for the coalition, "only 250–300 terrorists refused the agreement, choosing to continue fighting." Around 275 militants, by contrast, left the city together with their families. The agreement, however, does not cover foreign jihadists: the concern expressed above all by Western countries is that, faced with Isis's defeat in Syria, they may find a way to return to their home countries and organise terrorist attacks.
The exclusion of foreign fighters was also confirmed by the US-led international coalition, which supports several anti-jihadist groups: officials announced on Saturday the departure of a convoy from Raqqa, likewise underlining that the agreements do not apply to Islamic fundamentalists coming from abroad.
The Syrian Democratic Forces entered the city last June. Fighting continued throughout the summer and today almost all of the neighbourhoods have been liberated.
Losing Raqqa, its last stronghold in Syria, Isis continues its retreat, having already lost numerous territories. Hasni Abidi, director of the Centre for Studies and Research on the Arab and Mediterranean World, observed on the French broadcaster France Info that "at this point the Islamic State will probably gradually evolve into a different movement, no longer based on the existence of major strongholds."
