US-backed force combs through former ISIS fort in Raqqa, Syria

US-backed fighters on Monday combed through a central district of Syria’s Raqqa that once housed key Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) command centers. Communication equipment and weapons used by the militants were reportedly recovered. The Syrian Democratic Forces have captured around 90 percent of IS’s one-time bastion Raqqa, including about half of the Al-Nahda neighborhood on the western edge of the city center, AFP said. After battles against IS this week, SDF units on Monday were searching house-by-house for weapons or documents left behind by IS. “This neighborhood was a strategic place for IS. Most of their bases were here, including command centers and ammunition depots,” according to local SDF commander Gabar Derek.