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Now “Islamic State” is also going to its capital city. Militants of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), United States-supported ground troops, turned into Rakka victory rounds around al-Naeem square, where IS had heads of decapitated victims and now only charred ruins remain. The people who could have cheered liberators have fled. At present, no one knows when y can return.
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The whole dilemma is in this first résumé. On one hand, re is relief of expulsion of an Islamist group that, with brutality of a Mexican drug gang and PR quality of a Hollywood studio, has been able to combine terror with territorial control for three years. And re is, on or, horror of price of liberation from is: re-destruction of furr parts of a city and death of many civilians.
In best case, similarly many resources that have flown into war against IS are now being invested in reconstruction of Rakka.
It would support local councils of self-government, which once emerged against Assad regime and n fell under wheels of corrupt rebel groups and finally IS. There would be safeguards that Rakka will not fall into hands of Assad regime in end. This sounds like naïve wishful thinking – especially in Syria. However, approaches to this scenario are present. The question is wher y are decidedly sufficiently implemented or in armed conflicts to be rubbed in a post-is order.
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Of course, resources are available. Both US and EU could already provide money now, and United Nations has declared it to be active in Rakka as quickly as possible – especially in order to provide approximately 300,000 civilians in miserable camps near city, which are expected to Months, if not years to endure.
The local board of directors also has, as in or declining regions of Syrian opposition, still exist and function. The Raqqah Civilian council, used under Kurdish leadership, is currently still in small town of Ain Issa, consists of men and women, Arabs, Kurds and Assyrians, and is already making decisions – including pardon of prisoners Is foot soldiers, including teenagers. They don’t want revenge campaigns, said a council spokesman.
The civilian council expects a herculean task in ruins of Rakka. His biggest problem, however, is question of his political independence. Rakka was a majority Arab city and also a centre of opposition to Assad. Not a few who prepare for a return, see board of Directors as an instrument of Kurdish influence or takeover. For SDF, which now controls Rakka and its surroundings, are dominated by Kurdish militias of People’s Protection Units (YPG), military arm of PKK-near Democratic Unity Party (YPD). For YPD, in course of Syrian civil war, goal of a far-reaching Kurdish autonomy had always been higher priority than detachment of Assad regime. That made many Arab Syrians suspicious.
Similar to peshmerga fighters of Kurds in norrn Iraq, YPG units have not only proved to be reliable ground troops in fight against IS, but also incorporated additional territory into ir Kurdish regions. In norrn Iraq, negligent attempt to move borders of an independent state along se reconquests has only just become a disaster for Kurds. Iraq’s army and Shiite militias have displaced peshmerga after Kurdish independence referendum within a few days from controversial (and rich) territories, without US and Germany even stirring a finger for ir Kurdish allies Have. The dream of Iraqi Kurds from an independent state has thus burst.
