Raqqa: IS loses its last bastion
- By Sajjad Malik
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E-mail China.org.cn, October 23, 2017
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Raqqa, Islamic State's capital in Syria [File photo] |
The Islamic State has lost Raqqa, its capital in Syria, which many are equating with the fall of the radical movement. However, it would be far too simplistic to think that defeat in Raqqa will bring an end to militancy any time soon; but it helps focus on the future shape of militancy in the region.
First is important to admit that loss of Raqqa is of huge material and symbolic importance and could prove instrumental in completely uprooting the Islamic State and other similar extreme groups if focused follow-up operations continue.
By focused approach, I mean the role of U.S.-led coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in this success, that ended three years of IS rule in the city. The assault was led by the SDF, which took over four months of bloody fighting to evict the entrenched IS.
The SDF emerged about two years ago, with most of its fighters coming from the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG) militia. It has also some Arab members, but they are greatly outnumbered by the Kurds. The female SDF fighters have been the prominent feature in operations.
What differentiates SDF from other groups is that it is neither supportive of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, nor is it linked with the traditional opposition groups fighting to overthrow him. It has had resounding success, taking back around 8,000 sq. km, of the area once dominated by Islamic State.
The SDF has been supported by the U.S.-led coalition through air strikes, weapons supply and Special Forces providing technical assistance on operational matters.
The process to take back Raqqa started in November last year when some of the roads and outposts around the city were seized. The final assault began in June. The main issue confronting the SDF, as elsewhere, was the plight of civilians trapped inside the city.
The rebels used them as human shields and never hesitated to kill those trying to run away. According to one BBC report weeks before final defeat of IS, up to 25,000 people, half of them children, were trapped in "absolute hell" inside the ruined city.
The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group reported that a least 3,250 people were killed during five months of fighting, including at least 1,130 civilians. Other human rights organizations put the civilian death toll as high as 2,000.
It is difficult to determine how most of them died. The air attacks by the U.S.-led coalition to soften up targets for SDF fighters might have also contributed; similarly, the SDF might also have killed civilians in the inevitable "collateral damage."
However, the repressive militants must be considered chiefly responsible, as, after capturing the city, they kept the civilian population close to them by blocking exit points.
Raqqa along with Mosul were the chief cities serving as nerve centers in planning and controlling the game of death and destruction in Syria and Iraq. First, the militants were pushed out of Mosul, and now have finally been flushed out of Raqqa.
Raqqa was more important, as thousands of militants from different parts of the world came to settle in the city and take part in the “holy war” after a call issued by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, chief of self-styled caliphate.
The two defeats in quick succession have created hopes that Islamic State will soon be history. However, it is rather early to write the obituary of a group that has given new life and meaning to jihadi sentiments worldwide.
Though the area and number of people under direct control of IS has considerably shrunk since the days when it was first in its ascendency, different reports suggest it has a presence in some 94,000 sq. km of Syria and Iraq.
And, the loss of territory does not mean IS has lost its capability to wreak havoc. It is still present in the vast countryside and can operate freely. It may take quite long, even some years, to completely neutralize the militant threat.
Yet, the defeats in Mosul and Raqqa have exposed the Achilles' heel of the terrorists. They are unable to cope with organized pitched battles. More importantly, they can be eliminated if there is unity of purpose among the nations threatened by them.
Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:
http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm
Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
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