Syrians in Raqqa afraid, angry and frustrated as they try to rebuild 6 months after Daesh’s ouster

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Syrians in Raqqa afraid, angry and frustrated as they try to rebuild 6 months after Daesh’s ouster | The Star
By Sarah El DeebThe Associated Press

RAQQA, Syria— Across the ruins of Raqqa, the streets are cloaked in grey, the colour of bare cement and rubble left behind by the bombing campaign that finally drove out Daesh militants. Among the people of this Syrian city, the fear, anger and desperation are palpable.

Six months after Daesh’s ouster, residents feel they have been abandoned as the world moves on. They are trying to rebuild their lives, but they say they fear everyone around them: the Kurdish-led militia that administers the majority Arab city; the Syrian government, which has forces nearby; criminal gangs who kidnap or rob whoever shows signs of having money; and Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, militants who may still be hiding among the people.

“Daesh is still among us,” said a businessman. To give an example, he said, a man lobbed a hand grenade at a recent funeral when mourners played music, something hard-line Sunni Muslims view as sacrilegious.

Read more  https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2018/04/09/syrians-in-raqqa-afraid-angry-and-frustrated-as-they-try-to-rebuild-6-months-after-daeshs-ouster.html