The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) issued a statement to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the final announcement of Raqqa liberation. The self-proclaimed capital of the terrorist Islamic State ‘Caliphate’was the base for planning and launching horrendous terrorist acts, targeting the region and the world.

The statement said:“We recall our martyrs whose sacrifices brought us to this blessed day, our fighters who have fully unleashed their potential to free the Raqqa people from oppression, and our forces appreciate the sacrifices of the people of Raqqa who have shown tremendous courage in facing the practices of the terrorist organization and supported our forces in all stages of liberation.”

The liberation of Raqqa city, added the statement “was a clear example of the daring and large-scale operations of our forces to free people from terrorism, as our fighters have gained the confidence of all components in the north and eastern Syria and the world to complete their moral, humanitarian, and national tasks, which remain a voluntary commitment to our principles to provide a safe and better life for our people.

The campaign of Raqqa liberation was a great opportunity to concentrate efforts to eliminate Daesh, prevent it from proliferating, and reduce its threat to the world, as the terrorist organization was on the threshold of a dangerous phase of expanding its terrorist operations and its control over other countries in the region and the world, creating a threat that would not have been eliminated, had it not for the swift and bold decision by our forces to eliminate Daesh in 2017, so the decision to liberate Raqqa was the decisive step that determined the fate of the region and its population.”

Today, four years after liberation, the SDF “pay tribute to the patience of the people of Raqqa who suffered a dark era of Daesh that did not spare the young or old, and we commend their loyalty to their city and their ability to rise again, embracing more than half a million people from the rest of Syria suffering from the war. We affirm that we will always be with them to maintain security, stability, and community development at various levels. We also look forward to the support of the international community to complete reconstruction, support infrastructure and efforts to maintain security and overcome delays that could reduce the city’s ability to rise and meet the challenges left by long years of injustice and underdevelopment during Daesh control, and it is necessary to point to the terrorist organization’s attempts to once again pose danger through sleeper cells and hide in civilian-populated areas, requiring greater support for our forces in this region.”

The statement added: “Our forces also look forward to firm cooperation and working together more with the various parties fighting Daesh, primarily the international coalition, and we, therefore, welcome the increased efforts of the International Coalition to eliminate the terrorist organization and hope to expand those efforts to include all areas that are sheltering terrorist elements who have fled the fighting in Raqqa, Baguz and elsewhere.

We affirm our forces’ full confidence in the possibility of the final elimination of Daesh, the prosecution and accountability of criminals, and the achievement of justice for the victims. Hence we reiterate our commitment to protect people in the north and eastern Syria against various attacks. We have reached an advanced stage to overcome the challenges thanks to the sacrifices of our fighters and the support of our great people.

On this basis, we once again congratulate our fighters and our people in north and eastern Syria and the people of Raqqa in particular for the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Raqqa. Further, we underscore that the unity of our people, their rejection of division, and their link with the values and attainment achieved during many years of struggle and resistance is the way to overcome all difficulties.”