Islamic State militants blew themselves up following clashes with the U.S.-backed Syrian forces in the Syrian city of Raqqa, which was liberated from the extremists nearly two years ago, a war monitor said Wednesday.
During the push to liberate the ISIS self-declared capital of Raqqa, a Marine artillery battery’s barrage of the city was of a level not seen since the Vietnam War.
An international human rights group on Tuesday accused the U.S. and its allies of showing little regard for civilians’ lives while attacking the Syrian city that was once the de-facto capital of the Islamic State extremist group, an allegation denied by the American military.
Despite the liberation of Mosul and Raqqa and the pending defeat of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, there are no near-term plans for U.S. troops to begin drawing down forces in the region.