A US-backed alliance has ousted ISIL jihadists from half of their Syrian bastion Raqqa, a monitor said, as the escalating fighting drove up the civilian death toll. The Syrian Democratic Forces have been fighting for several months to capture the northern city, which has become infamous as the Syrian heart of ISIL’s so-called “caliphate”. The … Continue reading US-backed Syria force ousts ISIL from half of Raqqa