Hostage Situation in Raqqa as the Battle Comes Toward its Final Phase

The Islamic State is on the verge of losing it’s self-declared capital of Raqqa, as U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are fighting to take control of a hospital and a stadium which two of the last major position of IS fighters in the city.  As the final assault begins there is an estimated 400 terrorists remaining in Raqqa.

On September 20^th SDF forces claimed that an estimated 90% of the city has been liberated, and that the Islamic State has been confined to small areas of the city center, government administrative buildings, the stadium, the hospital and underground tunnels.

At the hospital and stadium, the Islamic State is reportedly holding an unknown number of civilian hostages. The hospital is just 200 yards from the SDF front-line, but IS fighters are using using sniper fire, booby traps and tunnels to prolong the fight.

The presence of civilians has limited the ability of the SDF to call in artillery or airstrikes. SDF Commander Haval Gaber says that they will remain on the ground as they advance forward.  The hospital will be the last point in Raqqa  to be freed.

SDF fighters have been advancing toward Raqqa since November, closing off north, east, and west access points, with the aid of U.S. airstrikes and artillery.

On June 6th the SDF launched the final phase  of their offensive to expel the Islamic State from the city and proposes that they may liberate the entirety of Raqqa by the end of October 2017, if not sooner.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi commanded to his fighters to not negotiate or surrender Raqqa in a 46-minute audio message,  which was the first recording released from Baghdadi since November of 2016. It is unclear when the recording was made as well as if Baghdadi is still alive.

Lt. Gen Stephan Townsend, chief of US-led coalition battling IS, believes that there are indicators within the recording which make it reasonable to believe that Al-Baghdadi is still alive. The recording makes reference to the nuclear threat from North Korea as well as current peace talks in Syria suggesting it was recorded recently. The Pentagon has said it has “no reason to believe tape is not authentic.”

In June of 2017, Russia claimed to have killed Baghdadi as well as other top IS officials in an airstrike near Raqqa. However, the US expressed caution regarding the claim due to of lack of evidence.

Raqqa was seized by the Islamic State in early 2014, and has had symbolical and strategic importance to the Islamic State. Raqqa was one of the central operating spots of the Islamic States “bureaucracy” as well as the place where many overseas terror attacks were planned. Some of the foreign attacks included attacks in France and Belgium, due to the number of foreign fighters who came to Raqqa to join IS.

Before the civil war began in Syria, Raqqa was home to 200,000 inhabitants.

In August of 2017 there was an estimated 430 civilian’s deaths, due to Russian and US-led coalition air raids in Syria. The US-led forces dropped a total of 5,075 bombs, shells and missiles   into Raqqa in August. 75% of the city of Raqqa has been destroyed since the 2014 and an estimated 190,000 people have been displaced from and within Raqqa.

Raqqa is one of the last remaining influential cities in Syria held by the Islamic State. As they lose territory rapidly, they are pushed further out of Syria along the Euphrates river into the few remaining IS-held territories within Iraq, which are also under pressure from coalition forces.