SDF Says Raqqa to be Part of Decentralized Syria, Hails 'Historic Victory'

Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign at the frontline in Raqqa, Syria October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said
Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign at the frontline in Raqqa, Syria October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said
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SDF Says Raqqa to be Part of Decentralized Syria, Hails 'Historic Victory'

Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign at the frontline in Raqqa, Syria October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said
Fighters of Syrian Democratic Forces gesture the "V" sign at the frontline in Raqqa, Syria October 16, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said

The defeat of ISIS in its Syrian bastion of Raqaa was a "historic" achievement, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces that led the months-long battle said Friday, adding the city would be part of decentralized Syria.

"We dedicate this historic victory to all humanity," said Talal Sello, spokesman for the Kurdish-led SDF, at an official ceremony in the city.

"We in the general command of the Syrian Democratic Forces announce that we will hand over the administration of the city of Raqqa and the surrounding countryside to the internal security forces in Raqqa," Sello added, referring to part of a civil authority set up for the city.

But Sello said the handover would not be immediate, with SDF fighters - who took full control of Raqqa on Tuesday -still combing the city, which lies in ruins and littered with explosives.

"After the end of clearing operations... we will hand over the city to the Raqqa Civil Council," he said.

The RCC was created some six months ago, and is made up of local officials and tribal leaders who will face the daunting task of rebuilding the city.

"We pledge to protect the borders of the province against all external threats, and we confirm that the future of Raqqa province will be determined by its people within the framework of a decentraliized, federal democratic Syria in which the people of the province will run their own affairs," the SDF said, according to Reuters.

In a highly symbolic move, the press conference was held inside Raqqa’s sports stadium which ISIS militants had turned into an arms depot and a huge prison where they incarcerated and tortured their opponents.

Standing before a backdrop of shattered buildings, Sello urged the international community and aid organizations to assist with the city's reconstruction.

Raqqa become the de facto Syrian capital of ISIS’ self-styled "caliphate" in Syria and Iraq after the terrorist group captured it in 2014.

The SDF, a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the US-led coalition, broke into the city in June after months of fighting to surround it.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor estimates over 3,000 people, at least a third of them civilians, were killed in the fighting.

Associated Press drone footage from Raqqa showed the extent of devastation caused by weeks of fighting and thousands of bombs dropped by the US-led coalition.

Footage from Thursday shows the bombed-out shells of buildings and heaps of concrete slabs lay piled on streets littered with destroyed cars. Entire neighborhoods are seen turned to rubble, with little sign of civilian life.

The video showed entire blocks in the city as uninhabitable with knocked-out walls and blown-out windows and doors, while some buildings had several stories turned to piles of debris. The stadium appears to have suffered less damage compared with surrounding buildings.



Washington Holds Kataib Hezbollah Responsible for Attack on an Iraqi Govt Building

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chairs the emergency security meeting on Sunday. (Iraqi government)
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chairs the emergency security meeting on Sunday. (Iraqi government)
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Washington Holds Kataib Hezbollah Responsible for Attack on an Iraqi Govt Building

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chairs the emergency security meeting on Sunday. (Iraqi government)
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chairs the emergency security meeting on Sunday. (Iraqi government)

The US embassy in Iraq accused on Monday the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah group of being behind the attack on an Agriculture Ministry building in Baghdad as a new director was being sworn in.

A group of fighters from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) carried out the attack, said the Interior Ministry.

The Kataib Hezbollah are part of the PMF.

At least one police officer was killed and 14 PMF fighters have been arrested.

The embassy offered its condolences to the families of the victims, “who were killed by Kataib Hezbollah, which is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States.”

Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani chaired an emergency security meeting on Sunday to address the situation.

Sudani stressed the need to uphold the law and protect state institutions. No leniency should be shown in the case, he added, urging investigations to uncover how the perpetrators were able to carry out the attack.

He called for bringing them to justice. “No one is above the law,” he declared, demanding that the probe be held according to professional standards.

Forces within the pro-Iran Shiite Coordination Framework held an emergency meeting to also discuss the attack.

Informed sources said the meeting “gave Sudani the green light to pursue the perpetrators.”

Information that has emerged in the past 24 hours revealed that the attack stemmed from disputes between armed factions and local powers over agricultural territory in the al-Dora region south of Baghdad.

The disputes culminated in the sacking of the old director, who is affiliated with Kataib Hezbollah. The new director is affiliated with another armed faction, leading to the clash between the two parties and the police and security forces intervening.