Dozens of Civilians Evacuated From Islamic State's De Facto Capital

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reportedly evacuated several areas in Raqqa city, Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria, on July 20, according to Kurdish reports.

Heavy fighting between SDF and IS was reported in the southwest of Raqqa and near the Hishan Bin Abdmalek neighborhood, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

A prominent anti-IS activist group said late on July 19 that 54 civilians had been killed in a 24-hour period by a combination of coalition airstrikes, SDF shelling and Islamic State mines. Credit: YouTube/Hawar News Agency via Storyful