Foreign Ministry: Raqqa still Occupied, Can Only Be Considered Liberated when Syrian Army Enters It

DAMASCUS– Syria considers the claims of the United States and its illegal coalition about the liberation of Raqqa city from ISIS to be lies aiming to divert international public opinion from the crimes committed by this coalition in Raqqa province, an official source at the Foreign and Expatriates Ministry told SANA on Sunday.

The source said that the US and its illegitimate coalition are misleading the international community about their intentions towards Syria, stressing that their claims on liberating Raqqa city from ISIS are mere lies aiming to divert international public opinion from the crimes they committed in Raqqa province, according to SANA.

 The source said that more than 90% of Raqqa city has been leveled due to the deliberate and barbaric bombardment of the city and the towns near it by the coalition, which also destroyed all services and infrastructures and forced tens of thousands of locals to leave the city and become refugees.

The source said that the celebration of US and its allies on what they call the liberation of Raqqa came over the bodies of the innocent Syrian victims, as proven by the suffering of the forcibly-displaced citizens who are living on the roads and in camps due to the practices of the so-called “Syrian Democratic Forces” which seize humanitarian aid meant to save the lives of Raqqa locals, adding that these Forces also confiscate locals’ IDs and documents and subject them to brutal torture and detainment.

The source went on to say that ISIS wouldn’t have exited Raqqa and went to other areas to fight the Syrian and Iraqi armies there if it hadn’t been in collusion with the US and the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces.

The source affirmed that Syria still considers Raqqa to be an occupied city, and it can only be considered liberated when the Syrian Arab Army enters it.

The source added that the quick calls by the US and the coalition for rebuilding Raqqa is an act of scam and fraud on the public opinion seeking to cover up the destruction they caused in Raqqa.

The source concluded by saying that Syria calls on the international community to expose what the US and its pawns did in Raqqa, and demands that Security Council resolutions on respecting the unity of Syria be respected, in addition to demanding the dissolution of this suspicious and illegal alliance.