Raqqah residents call for Syrian government’s return

Residents of the northern Syrian city of Raqqah, the former stronghold of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group, have called on the government to return to the war-wracked city and provide civil services for the residents.

Raqqah fell to the US-sponsored Kurdish militants last year after they drove the Takfiri terrorists out of the city. The militants have, however, refused to hand over the control of Raqqah back to the Syrian government.

In an interview published by Ruptly on Saturday, Raqqah residents recalled times before the conflict erupted and when services such as water and electricity were not scarce. They expressed hope that the government would return.

“We want the government to come back; we want them back to open schools and offer education to the students and offer all the services we want – like water and electricity. We have been deprived of many things for years now. As for Daesh, we don’t want to see them again. They destroyed us,” a Raqqah resident said.

“We need water because we have no water; we need aid because we receive no aid here. We need education for the children because they are not getting an education. As for the electricity, we hope that organizations will come to the country for electricity. We need family documents because most people are not registered,” said another resident.

Last year, Daesh lost its de facto capital of Raqqah after four months of fighting and bombings by the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed coalition of mainly Kurdish militants. The bombings left the city in ruins.

‘US actions in Raqqah amount to war crimes’

US-led coalition attacks against Daesh in Syria’s Raqqah last broke international law by endangering the lives of civilians, says international rights group.

Daesh-controlled territory in Syria’s north and east has been reduced to just a handful isolated pockets.

The US support for several militant groups in Syria, notably Kurds, has sparked fears that they might be trying to create a statelet outside the Syrian government’s control.

The US has been conducting airstrikes against what it claims are Daesh targets inside Syria since September 2014 without the consent of the government or a United Nations mandate.

The US and its allies have been accused of killing civilians in their so-called fight against Daesh in Syria.