Funeral held for four SDF fighters killed by IS militants in Raqqa

Record ID: 896688

  • Title: Funeral held for four SDF fighters killed by IS militants in Raqqa
  • Date: 23rd June 2017
  • Summary: TAL ABIAD, SYRIA (JUNE 23, 2017) (REUTERS) FIGHTERS STANDING WOMEN FIGHTERS STANDING COFFINS/FIGHTERS CHANTING FIGHTERS CHANTING IN ARABIC: ''We will sacrifice our lives and blood for you martyr.'' FLAGS DURING FUNERAL PROCESSION FIGHTERS IN UNIFORM WOMEN COFFINS/FIGHTERS SALUTING MORE OF THE FUNERAL PROCESSION (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) RAFIK IRECH KOBANI, COMMANDER OF MILITARY POLICE SDF IN RAQQA, SAYING: ''Regarding the killing of Baghdadi, if it is a rumour or real, we say that our forces when they started to fight, we did not put as a target the killing of Baghdadi only, our goal was to defend humanity, in the Kurdish areas and in the Syrian territory, to defend the people and we don't care if Baghdadi is the leader of the Daesh fighters or not. Now for the Russians, this is a war, and these might just be rumours to affect the morale of the Islamic State fighters by telling them that Baghdadi has been killed. We cannot confirm this but even if he was killed, there were many like him before and there will be many after. And we will not stop our fight. And Raqqa is a few days away from being liberated and then on to Deir Al Zour.'' FIGHTERS AT THE FUNERAL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABED CHAHINE, COMMANDER OF A UNIT OF SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES (SDF) IN RAQQA, SAYING: ''If he died, then he is dead. If not, then we will kill him. We will chase him until we kill him anywhere, in Iraq or any other country.'' FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ALI AISSA HOMADA, FIGHTER WITH SYRIAN DEMOCRATIC FORCES (SDF) IN RAQQA, SAYING: ''He is a terrorist, whether he has been killed or not. He is an insect. And we are fighting terrorism here and these weapons are American, but we will not return these weapons until all of terrorism in Syria has been defeated.'' CROWDS AT FUNERAL
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2017 20:16
  • Keywords: Syria Islamic State militants Syrian Democratic Forces fighter funeral
  • Location: TAL ABIAD, SYRIA
  • City: TAL ABIAD, SYRIA
  • Country: Syria
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016MI2VYF
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A funeral was held on Friday (June 23) for four members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who were killed during fighting with Islamic State fighters in Raqqa on Thursday (June 22).
    The U.S.-backed SDF, which include Arab and Kurdish fighters and are supported with air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition, began an offensive two weeks ago to seize the northern city from Islamic State, which overran it in 2014.
    The group has said that it has closed in on Raqqa recently, taking territory on the south bank of the Euphrates River with the aim of encircling the city.
    Islamic State is also facing defeat in its Iraqi stronghold of Mosul and is being forced into retreat across much of Syria, where Deir al-Zor in eastern Syria is its last major foothold.
    Russia's defence ministry said last week Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi may have been killed in an air strike in Syria and Interfax news agency quoted a senior Russian parliamentarian on Friday as saying the likelihood that he had been killed was close to 100 percent.
    But one SDF commander in Raqqa said the reports do not influence the events on the ground.
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