The battle to liberate Raqqa, led by the People's Defense Units (YPG), the Women's Defense Units (YPJ) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is closing in on the city centre. The operation, which was initiated from the eastern and western fronts, is proceeding as planned in accordance with the war coordination. Following the unification of the eastern and western flanks, ISIS has been suffocated entirely. The ISIS gangs have been entrapped in the city with no way out and are living their final moments. A violent battle is raging for days in Raqqa's city centre.

As much as all the battles during the first 52 days of the operations against the ISIS gangs were occurring between sunrise and towards morning, in these last two weeks however the war has soared to such a level that the clashes take place now uninterruptedly also during daytime.

The Great Battle, that will cleanse Raqqa of ISIS for good and will liberate Raqqa's people, aims particularly at securing and evacuating the Êzîdî women and children held in the city centre and all the local people of various regions of Rojava to safe areas as quickly as possible.

On the eastern front of Raqqa and especially in the historic city walls ISIS is holding a large number of civilians hostages and is using them as human shields against the fighters. The fighters are acting highly cautious not to risk the safety of the civilians. With some special operations those civilians whose coordination have been identified and those who manage to get to the fighters during the operations, are taken away from the city centre. To rescue and get the civilians out of harm's way, the fighters of the SDF have wreaked havoc on the ISIS gangs with special operations, that have been introduced following ISIS’ systematic use of civilians as human shields. In this way civilians are steered away from harm. No matter how much the ISIS gangs have stepped up to resorting especially in this last week to bomb-laden vehicles, suicide bombings, mines and sniper methods and sabotage acts, they are nevertheless being totally destroyed in the operations of the SDF.

These are now two weeks that the operations are getting step by step intensified to highest degree and a resistance of legendary extent is mounted. In order to document this unparalleled resistance and give an insight of the happenings, as little as we might possibly offer, we accompanied the fighters for two days.

All attack units consisted of Kurdish and Arabic YPG and YPJ members. The units gathered at the meeting spot, went through their plans and headed to their emplacements in groups and with armoured vehicles. After all units reach their positions, the attack and reinforcement units are marching the rest of the way on foot. The fighters are marching within the historic city walls. The city, the streets of which we were walking along, was showing the harshness of the war bluntly. The buildings we were passing were riddled with bullets. Houses teared totally down, a yellow cloud was lingering above the city, which is covered with holes and cavities through and through.

As we were heading towards identified ISIS positions, the sound of the heavy battles fought between the fighters and the ISIS gangs at some distance, was rocking the bones. On the roofs of literally all high buildings the ISIS gangs have stationed snipers. Therefore the fighters need to leg it when crossing the streets. We halted in front of a wall, through which the fighters began to hammer a hole, a practice that has to be resorted to constantly all over the entire battle. Wall drilling is as safe as it is risky. Since you never know what is hidden on the other side of the wall. There might be mines and traps laid by the ISIS gangs awaiting you. For that reason, some fighters are always in shooting position during those wall drillings, to reply as fast as possible if needed. Throughout the whole operation there are battles fought fiercely at almost every corner.

The operation to annihilate ISIS started at its first day with a unit advancing into the mine plastered and well installed neighbourhoods of the eastern front, to capture ISIS positions that were identified previously.

Especially by progressing in many smaller units from five to six directions to corner the ISIS gangs as planned, might be laden with great risks but still offers a greater possibility to get to the entrapped civilians. The initial step of the operation, that was lasting two days in a row, was due to the countless land mines and the ISIS snipers on the buildings one of the most dangerous but vital moves.

On reaching finally their destination all preparations are set in hastily without losing any time, and the battle begins. The SDF forces are preferring such emplacements that offer them good shooting positions against ISIS gangs from windowsills, door thresholds, roofs and through the holes in the walls of those buildings. In this way the fighters are keeping themselves invisible to the eye of the enemy, taking better aim at them and protect themselves from enemy bullets.

The battles drag sometimes on for hours and are at times after a quite short time already over. As we were accompanying the unit, the fights during those two days lasted from three hours to half an hour and ended each time in total defeat for the enemy. The long-lasting battle faces a large group of ISIS gangs and an ISIS sniper somewhere on the pile of the wreckages.

The fighters are using the ideal narrow alleys between the buildings, employing those to their advantage and setting their emplacements at those positions. The commanders of the YPG and YPJ assess within a short time the usefulness and safety of emplacements in such alleys, what speaks for the excellent experiences they have acquired. Almost without being noticed by the enemy, they hit the ISIS gangs hard with their BKC's and Kalanishkovs, destroying them completely.

On the second day, which entails the second part of the meticulously planned operation, holes are being hammered into the walls of the buildings, enabling the fighters to cross to their arranged positions. That moment ISIS gangs rushed into a fierce battle that once more ended in their total defeat, followed by a mine sweeping and security operation, in which the entire area would be combed through.

After the embattled area gets cleared of ISIS-laid land mines, traps and tunnels get secured and safety measures get taken, units are stationed at those new posts and in this manner advances are made step by step on the map. The fighters of the SDF do not fail to provide for the safety of the civilians in those areas they liberated from ISIS, as directly after taking hold of the new positions they move on with the operation and continue their endeavours unflaggingly. The fighters, who are liberating Raqqa's soil day and night without resting, and at times also parched with thirst, are continuing the fight against the ISIS gangs resolutely and self-confidently.

After the successful accomplishment of the operation and the capture of those ISIS positions that were aimed at, the fighters on the rear side return to their headquarters. Before heading back however, some new units are getting assigned to take care of the security of the region.