US-led coalition pays tribute to SDF for sacrifices on anniversary of Raqqa liberation from ISIS

"We are grateful for the resilience & resolve of the people of NE Syria & SDF who are making Raqqa thrive once again."

Kurdistan 24 2021/10/17 08:19

SDF fighters in northeast Syria (Photo: Giuseppe Cacace/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The United States-led coalition marked the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Raqqa from the Islamic State (ISIS) group by paying tribute to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for the sacrifices that the group made liberating the city.

“As we mark the 4th anniversary of the liberation of Raqqa from Daesh’s (ISIS) brutal rule, we pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice,” the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTFOIR) tweeted on Sunday morning.

“We are grateful for the resilience & resolve of the people of NE Syria & SDF who are making Raqqa thrive once again,” the tweet added.

As we mark the 4th anniversary of the liberation of Raqqa from Daesh’s brutal rule, we pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We are grateful for the resilience & resolve of the people of NE Syria & SDF who are making Raqqa thrive once again.
— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) October 17, 2021

On Oct. 17, 2017, the SDF declared victory in its months-long fight against ISIS in the urban center, formerly that group’s de-facto capital city. They liberated it with the help of supporting US-led coalition airstrikes and artillery bombardments. The fighting destroyed vast swathes of the city, and the SDF had to engage in costly urban battles against the entrenched ISIS militants.

The SDF went on to destroy the remainder of ISIS’s self-styled caliphate in Syria by March 2019 when it captured the town of Baghouz from the group. While ISIS has lost its caliphate, the group still has sleeper cells that carry out attacks across northeast Syria to this day.

After it liberated Baghouz, the SDF issued a statement revealing that it lost at least 11,000 of its men and women fighters in its years-long war against ISIS while 21,000 others were injured.

In an earlier tweet late on Saturday, the CJTFOIR also said that “Raqqa is on the path to lasting peace 4 yrs after its liberation.”

Raqqa is on the path to lasting peace 4 yrs after its liberation. Thanks to
the local authority & Int'l Orgs for ensuring a safe learning environment
for every child & promoting a culture of peace & reconciliation that starts
in the classroom. Raqqawies have chosen hope & unity. https://t.co/ucreWfvQf9
— Inherent Resolve (@CJTFOIR) October 16, 2021

“Thanks to the local authority & Int’l Orgs for ensuring a safe learning environment for every child & promoting a culture of peace & reconciliation that starts in the classroom,” the tweet added.

“Raqqawies have chosen hope & unity.”