Syria’s Raqqa security forces announces two-day curfew fearing IS attacks

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Local Syrian security forces in Raqqa imposed a two-day curfew, starting Sunday, after receiving information about possible attacks by the Islamic State (IS) militants on the group’s former capital.

The US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Oct. 2017 liberated Raqqa, the de facto capital of the so-called, self-proclaimed caliphate. Since then, local police units were established to ensure the security situation remained stable.

In a statement published on Sunday, the Raqqa International Security Forces said they had received “viable information that terrorist groups working on behalf of Da’esh [IS]... have entered Raqqa city to carry out attacks.”

The security forces affirmed that in response to the threats, they had announced “a state of emergency” and imposed a curfew on Raqqa city “starting at 5:00 am (0200 GMT) on Sunday, June 24, 2018, until 5:00 am, Tuesday.”

IS lost its self-proclaimed Syrian capital of Raqqa after four months of fierce fighting and bombing by the SDF and the US-led coalition, causing considerable damage to the city.

Security breaches in Raqqa have been on the rise over the past few weeks.

On Friday, the jihadist group claimed its first attack in Raqqa province since it lost control of the area. In an online statement, IS announced that its militants had detonated a roadside bomb northeast of the city.

On June 15, an SDF fighter was killed at a security checkpoint north of Raqqa following an IS attack according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier in June, five more police officers linked to the SDF were killed by a roadside bomb during a routine patrol of Raqqa, but no one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Editing by Nadia Riva