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ISIS Loses Raqqa, Its One-Time Capital

Published October 17, 2017 at 11:06 AM CDT
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by U.S. special forces, walk on a building near Raqqa's central hospital as they clear the last positions on the frontline on Oct. 16, 2017, in the Islamic State group jihadists' crumbling stronghold. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by U.S. special forces, walk on a building near Raqqa's central hospital as they clear the last positions on the frontline on Oct. 16, 2017, in the Islamic State group jihadists' crumbling stronghold. (Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led forces say they have retaken Raqqa, the Syrian city that has been the de facto ISIS capital. This comes as Iraqi troops retake more territory from the Kurds in Kirkuk, three weeks after the Kurdistan region held a controversial independence referendum.

Here & Now‘s Jeremy Hobson sorts out the complicated Middle East battlefield with Mike Giglio (@mike_giglio), Middle East correspondent for BuzzFeed News.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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