Battle of Raqqa (2017)
The battle of Raqqa (2017), also known as the second battle of Raqqa, was the fifth and final phase of the Raqqa campaign (2016–2017) launched by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against the Islamic State (ISIL) with an aim to seize the city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of ISIL since 2014. The battle began on 6 June 2017, and was supported by airstrikes and ground troops from the US-led coalition.[45] The operation was named the "Great Battle" by the SDF.[46] It concluded on 17 October 2017, with the SDF fully capturing the city of Raqqa.
Not to be confused with Battle of Raqqa (2013).
The battle ran concurrently with the lifting of the Siege of Deir ez-Zor (2014–2017) as well as the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017), which started seven months earlier, as part of an effort by the CJTF–OIR and its allies to strip ISIL of its regional centers of power and to dismantle it as a state.[47]
Similarly to the other battles fought against ISIL, the battle for Raqqa was marked by grueling urban combat,[48][49][50][51] with fighting both on the surface level, and in tunnels below that ISIL militants moved through.[52] One U.S. commander described it as some of the most intense urban fighting since the Second World War.[51]
Out of a pre-war population of 300,000 some 270,000 people were said to have fled Raqqa.[53] Around 80% of the city was destroyed by the battle.[12]