The Raqqa Reconquest, which does not seek a quick decision: more than half of the siege is costly

The U.S.-led international coalition has captured half of syria's key city of Raqqa, and the fighting with extremist group Islamic State militants has suffered heavy casualties. It is reported that 29 civilians were killed in the air strikes of the coalition forces on the 26th.

Raqqa is the islamic State's stronghold in Syria, and the siege forces, led by the Kurdish armed Syrian Democratic Army, have declared control of more than 45 percent of Raqqa's urban area. A spokesman for the armed forces said progress was being made on all fronts, but that the more tightly the ropes were twisted and the more fierce the reaction, the more difficult the fighting" against the Islamic State.

The U.S. military's offensive against the Syrian Democratic Army was accompanied by air strikes, while providing support from military experts and weapons. The Islamic State resisted with car bombs, suicide attacks, armed drones and planted bombs all over the city.

Despite repeated statements by coalition forces that the Raqqa reconquest would not seek a quick decision and that they would do their best to protect the safety of civilians, news of casualties continued to come out. Humanitarian agencies have information that at least 8 children were killed in the airstrike casualties on the 26th. Coalition forces say a total of 603 civilians have been killed in Syria and Iraq since the attack on islamic State in 2014. But an observer based in London, England, said 744 civilians were killed in an international coalition offensive in June.

At present, about 2,000 Islamic State militants are still stubbornly resisting Raqqa. According to Agence France-Presse, the coalition forces have considered the reconstruction after the reconquest of Raqqa and intend to set up a "Raqqa Civil Commission" to be responsible for administrative affairs.

After the fierce fighting, the british major general Rupert Jones said that retaking Raqqa is not the same as eliminating the Islamic State, and there is still a lot to be done in the future. (Xia Wenhui) [Xinhua News Agency Micro Feature]