SDC commemorates 6th anniversary of Raqqa liberation from ISIS
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC) issued, on Thursday, a statement on the occasion of the sixth anniversary of the liberation of Raqqa city, northern Syria, from the Islamic State (ISIS) by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
“On October20, it marks the sixth anniversary of the liberation of the city of Raqqa, the alleged capital of the so-called caliphate, from the most notorious terrorist group by the fighters of the SDF, with the support of the US-led Global Coalition to combat ISIS”, the SDC said in a statement released on its official website.
The council described this day as a historical turning point, adding that it came after a lot of sacrifices made by the region’s components within the SDF.
“As we recall the martyrs who sacrificed for the sake of promoting peace and tolerance, we congratulate the SDF, Raqqa and its residents on this joyous occasion, which has become a model for civil life and coexistence”, the statement read.
On this day, the SDC also recalled the sacrifices and roles of women, whether in the liberation operations as part of the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) affiliated to the SDF or in their roles in protecting and rebuilding Raqqa, reviving its prosperity.
The SDC also emphasized, on this occasion, the ongoing danger posed by the ISIS through its cells and remnants and the persistence of its ideology in getting support.
The SDC called on the international community to engage seriously in eliminating ISIS, dealing with its remnants in Hawl and Roj camps, northeast Syria, and finding sustainable resolutions for its detainees held by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
ISIS lost its final stronghold in Syria in March 2019. The SDF, with the support of the Global Coalition, defeated ISIS after fierce battles in the town of Baghuz in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, eastern Syria, bringing an end to the so-called caliphate declared by the terrorist ISIS.