Syrian civilians celebrated their escape from an Isis stronghold in Raqqa by burning burqas, which they were forced to wear under the group’s oppressive rule.
A group of women pulled off the black robes over their dresses and set them alight after their families were liberated from the city in the north of Syria on Thursday.
They cursed the strict dress code imposed by Isis, who order women to cover their faces and wear loose-fitting gowns over their bodies.
Raqqan civilians liberated from ISIS’ oppression in Raqqa by YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces burn enforced clothes and cut enforced beards. pic.twitter.com/ZPfGHTILb9 — Rojava Defense Units (@DefenseUnits) July 21, 2017
Syrian women after being freed from the Isis stronghold in Raqqa
Emotional survivors were filmed stamping on the garments after they were helped to freedom by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance dominated by Kurdish fighters.
One woman cried: “Give me a lighter, I’m going to burn this. May these clothes they forced us to wear be damned!”
Another civilian pointed to a woman’s black robes and said: “Burn these, may Allah burn them. They burned my father, they burned my father.”
‘Burn these, may Allah burn them. They burned my father’
She added: “I wish he was with us now in this happy time.”
Small children gathered around a woman who said: “They killed my father. They killed my husband. They fired a mortar at my house. My husband was outside, he was hit and died.”
A man told a barber to shave off the long beard he was forced to grow under Isis rule, saying: “Cut it all off just to spite them.”
Men have cut off beards they were forced to grow under Isis rule
The families were civilians from Raqqa who were liberated by the SDF and the People’s Protection Units (YPG) in Rojava-Northern Syria Federation, who released the video.
The SDF launched a final assault to drive Isis out of its stronghold of the city last month, and have spearheaded efforts against the group in north-east Syria.
On Saturday, Syrian warplanes carried out air strikes against Isis in an area of countryside east of Raqqa and close to where the US-backed forces operate, according to Syrian state TV which cited a military source.
The attacks in the town of Maadan and village of Bir al-Sabkhawi, near the provincial boundary with Deir al-Zor governorate, “destroyed several bases and vehicles” belonging to the Islamist group, the source said.
The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said it was the first time in several weeks that the Syrian military had launched an attack in that area.
The Syrian army has active front lines with Isis in Raqqa’s western countryside, where it has recaptured territory from the jihadists.
But air strikes in the east take the fight closer to where the US-backed SDF are operating.
Syrians make fuel from plastic waste
8 show all Syrians make fuel from plastic waste
1/8 Sifting through plastic: the workshop uses plastic from bottles and other waste materials to produce liquid and gas fuels. The liquid is refined into gasoline, diesel and benzene fuels, which in turn are sold for domestic and commercial use Reuters
2/8 Khodor, 20, at the workshop in the rebel-held and besieged neighbourhood of Douma, Damascus Reuters
3/8 Back to basics: a man checks the heat of a pipe pouring with fuel Reuters
4/8 Khodor, 20, must keep an eye on the burning plastic inside the workshop in Douma Reuters
5/8 A young man takes a container of the locally made fuel, which can be used for domestic heating and on farms and bakeries Reuters
6/8 Abu Fahad on a rest break with his colleagues inside the workshop, where the air is heavy with toxic fumes Reuters
7/8 Fuel drips into a container at the workshop. Most locals are glad of the family-run business, which has restored a degree of normality to the region Reuters
8/8 Khodor extracts fuel from plastic in the workshop Reuters
The Syrian army, backed by Russian warplanes, is separately fighting the jihadists further west, but has also carried out air raids in Raqqa and Deir al-Zor provinces.
The SDF accused Syrian government forces of bombing their positions in June, one of several incidents that raised tension between the US on one side and Syria and Russia on the other.
It was not immediately clear how close Saturday’s air strikes came to SDF positions, but they were within miles of SDF-controlled territory.
jedilion on July 22nd, 2017 at 21:00 UTC »
I know this isnt really the point but I cant imagine how good it feels to shave off your beard that you hate. I get super happy shaving after a week of itch face fuzz
Valiante on July 22nd, 2017 at 20:37 UTC »
I read that as "Women burn burkas and shave beards" and thought, "no wonder they wore burkas.
Skoyer on July 22nd, 2017 at 19:40 UTC »
This makes me happy. :)