Source: Jiefangjun Bao Author: Diao Aiju, Hu Mingxin
The central Syrian city of Raqqa, located on the north bank of the Euphrates River, 160 kilometers from Aleppo, is the capital of The Syrian province of Raqqa. In 2013, the Syrian opposition captured Raqqa, followed by the Islamic State declared Raqqa its "capital", and in the years since, Raqqa has been firmly controlled by extremist groups, and this ancient city of civilization has become the base camp of the Islamic State.
Located on the north bank of the Euphrates River, Raqqa was historically an important commodity exchange and distribution center for food and goods, and all kinds of goods were exported to other countries through the Euphrates River waterway. Due to its geographical importance, Raqqa has experienced war, and the Persian Emperor Kassara I took the opportunity to repair the city wall and easily occupied the city of Raqqa and destroyed it. After the Persians left, the war between the Romans and the Persians continued, and Emperor Giustain rebuilt the strong walls on the ruins. At that time, the city of Raqqa sometimes belonged to the Persians, sometimes to the Romans, until the advent of Islam, the Romans finally defeated the Persians, and the city of Raqqa was stabilized. In 639, the land was conquered by the Muslims, and during the reign of Abbasid Harun Rashid, Raqqa became the second capital of the Abbasid dynasty.
Before the Syrian civil war, Raqqa was one of the most open cities in Syria, with beautiful scenery where women were free to socialize with men, and children would party with friends by the pool in the summer. However, the war changed everything. Raqqa remained relatively stable at the beginning of the Syrian crisis in 2011, and after the civil war broke out in 2012, there were no fierce fighting in Raqqa, and more than 500,000 refugees from war zones such as Idlib, Deir Ezzor and Aleppo were resettled to the city. However, the influx of refugees has created a series of problems – these refugees are already more pro-opposition, and the opposition's power in Raqqa has quickly swelled. In March 2013, the Islamic State, in conjunction with the Nusra Front, the Liberal Al-Sharm Islamist Movement, and other clerical factions, launched an offensive against Raqqa, capturing most of Raqqa's urban area within a single day, and raqqa became the first provincial capital city seized by opposition in the Syrian civil war. Subsequently, the Islamic State declared Raqqa its "capital" and imposed harsh rule here.
In late October 2016, the United States announced it would help local Kurdish and Arab forces seize Raqqa, a key stronghold of the Islamic State group. Subsequently, on November 6, the Syrian opposition announced the official start of the campaign to retake Raqqa. However, with turkey's intervention and the battle of Mosul dragging on, the Battle of Raqqa seems to be "thunderous and rainy", and it is still unknown when this glorious ancient city of civilization will be able to escape the control of extremist organizations.
Pictured: Kurdish militants participate in military operations near the town of Ain Issa, about 50 kilometers north of Raqqa, Syria, on November 6, 2016.
Picture of this newspaper
