YOU’RE ON DEATH ROW
Threat after frontline city is liberated
Islamic State fighters in Raqqa have been warned they will all be killed following the liberation of Raqqa.
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) finally took hold of the hated caliphate’s Syrian stronghold last week and more than 6000 extremist jihadis have already been killed as the brutal occupation was overturned.
Now forces – including Scots and Britons – are fighting to root out any hidden cells that remain.
Brett McGurk, top US envoy for the anti-IS coalition, said: “Our mission is to make sure that any foreign fighter who is here, who joined ISIS from a foreign country and came into Syria, will die here in Syria.
“So if they’re in Raqqa, they’re going to die in Raqqa.”
The coalition has given names and photos to the fighters so they can identify the foreign jihadis, who are seen as a threat back home and a burden on their justice systems, according to a commander with the SDF.
The commander said his fighters are checking for wanted men among the dead or the few foreigners among the captured.
The city has been left a shell of its former self with around 75 coalition airstrikes in 48 hours in the final days.
But at Al-Naim Square – the one-time scene of public killings – fighters installed the green and yellow flags of the YPG (People’s Protection Units) fighting force as they declared victory over the terror group.
And as the last black flag of IS was removed from the National Hospital last week, women threw off their burkas in celebration.
The fall of the city is a major symbol of troubles facing IS – also known as Daesh – in a year where they have lost most of their territory in Syria and Iraq. Raqqa is considered “the head of the snake” of Islamic State.
The SDF, made up of Arabs and Kurdish mi l itia, had the help of American-led jets and special forces for the mission.
A number of Brits travelled to Syria to join the fight – including Scots Steve Smith, from Stirling, and Kevin Benton, from Edinburgh.
Now a major clean-up of landmines and lethal explosives left by the so-called
caliphate is underway. Yesterday, the UK Government announced a £10million aid fund to help in the clean- up and restock hospitals.
International Development Secretary Priti Patel said: “Daesh’s iron grip on the city of Raqqa has stolen the lives of too many innocent people and now that this evil regime has been driven out, it is absolutely crucial that the international community actively helps them rebuild their lives.
“Af ter years of barbar ic and indiscriminate violence by Daesh, the liberation of Raqqa offers a glimmer of hope – but defenceless men, women and children still face a brutal death sentence from lethal landmines or wounds inflicted by the conflict.
“UK aid is providing a lifeline for countless Syrians who have lost absolutely everything, giving life-saving medical treatment, water and blankets to those that have escaped and destroying deadly explosives to ensure people can return safely.”
The money will be used to ensure hospitals and mobile surgical units have essential medicines, as well as providing relief kits and improving access to clean water for 15,000 people.
Meanwhile, access to the IS death camp beneath the city’s Stadium has sparked rumours that notorious British jihadist Abu Sa’eed Al-Britani – real name Omar Hussain – might have died at the hand of his own colleagues.
The fighter, from High Wycombe, was one of four placed on the UN Sanctions list by the UK.
He once claimed he would only return home to “plant a bomb”.
But it’s now thought the former supermarket security worker fell out of favour with the regime after his name was found etched on a prison cell wall.
The hidden network of rooms and corridors below the Raqqa Sports Stadium was used to torture and execute prisoners.
Digits marked beneath his name indicate he spent 49 days in the cell. The date February 24, 2016 is written below.
The vast prison complex could hold thousands at a time.
Cells were of varying sizes – some large enough to accommodate groups of prisoners, others tiny breeze block chambers a few metres square.
One was a tiny box for extreme punishment.
Daesh’s iron grip on Raqqa has stolen the lives of too many people