• Home
• /
• Opinion

Relief for Raqqa, but concerns for the region

The capture of Raqqa by US-backed Syrian fighters has ripped the heart out of Daesh, the terror group. Serves them right. Raqqa was their 'capital' where they slaughtered, tortured, enslaved and crucified people. What went on in Raqqa killed the very essence of humanity; it destroyed goodness and made people victims of their dark recesses - of cruelty that knew no bounds. How could humans dredge up such depths of depravity? The world watched helplessly as the terror group gained prominence during the civil strife against President Bashar Al Assad to establish its sphere of influence. These were forces of evil, the worst the world has known since the Third Reich of Adolf Hitler during World War II. What was shocking was they were not stopped three years ago by major powers when they swept through large swathes of Iraq and Syria with their blood-thirsty ideology and agenda to kill.

The damage to our heritage by this violence is manifold. What happened in Raqqa has scarred our civilisation. Rebuilding lives will be painful for the victims but there is relief that the world is fighting back against rabid extremism. Both Kurdish and Arab troops were involved in the battle to retake the Daesh stronghold from where the group plotted attacks. That's the positive news that emerges from this campaign. Unity at last against a foe who will go to any lengths for the sake of a sick ideology. The victory in Raqqa may at best be symbolic because the damage to the psyche of peoples in Iraq and Syria has been immense. They have paid with their lives, possessions and most of all, their dignity - unwitting victims of a conflict that disrespected their right to exist and be treated as humans. Never again should such cruelty be allowed to spread. While there is reason to gloat after successful US and Russian backed campaigns against Daesh, there is also concern about a dangerous geopolitical game in the Middle East. The victors will lust for the spoils of war: territory and influence in another winter of discontent.