Footage from Thursday shows the bombed-out shells of buildings and heaps of concrete slabs lay piled on streets littered with destroyed cars. RAQQA, SYRIA—Drone footage from the northern Syrian city of Raqqa shows the extent of devastation caused by weeks of fighting between Kurdish-led forces and Daesh, also known as ISIS, and thousands of bombs dropped by the U.S.-led coalition. The U.S.-backed Kurdish-led SDF announced Tuesday they have driven Daesh militants out of the city after weeks of fighting. Long before the ground offensive by the Syrian Democratic Forces began in Raqqa in early June, warplanes pounded the city for months. The fall of Raqqa marks a major defeat for Daesh, which has seen its territory steadily shrink since last year.

Source: thestar October 20, 2017 14:26 UTC