ISIS used civilians as human shields to escape Raqqa

An Islamic State (IS, previously ISIS/ISIL) group used civilians as human shields to evacuate from the Syrian city of Raqqa overnight, a spokesman for the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) told Reuters on Sunday.

The US-backed SDF are still trying to oust Islamists from the city, and some foreign fighters left under the so-called withdrawal deal.

“The operation has finished and the battle continues,” the spokesman said.

“Last night, the final batch of fighters [who agreed to leave] left the city.”