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4 Apr, 2018 14:10

UN conducts 1st humanitarian mission to Raqqa since ISIS defeat

The UN said Wednesday that it has conducted its first humanitarian mission to Raqqa since the Syrian city was liberated from Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). Returning civilians face enormous risks, the head of the UN’s Syria humanitarian taskforce, Jan Egeland, said. The city, which IS proclaimed part of its “caliphate” in 2014, is littered with unexploded devices. “Homes are still full of bombs [and] grenades,” Egeland said. The UN visit was carried out in recent days, AFP reported. Roughly 100,000 people have returned to Raqqa since IS was flushed out in October by fighters backed by a US-led international coalition. According to Egeland, another 100,000 displaced people are waiting near the city and want to go back.