Destroyed neighbourhood in central Raqqa / David Pratt for The National
Destroyed neighbourhood in central Raqqa / David Pratt for The National

Ravaged by war, Raqqa remains a shell of a once-vibrant city



Before it was ravaged by war, Raqqa, the capital of the Syrian province bearing the same name, was a vibrant city of 400,000 people. It changed hands three times in the course of a war that has now claimed half a million lives and reduced 10 times as many Syrians to the status of refugees, driven out of their homeland. The site of one of the earliest rebel victories against Bashar Al Assad's regime, Raqqa rapidly yielded to the advancing troops of ISIS, who anointed the city the capital of its so-called caliphate, before a four-month long siege in October 2017 by US-backed Kurdish forces drove them out.

The last of these battles was apocalyptic: almost every building in the city was reduced to rubble. Today, as The National reports, Raqqa epitomises the extraordinary challenges of post-ISIS Syria, a fractured land that is still a warzone. ISIS has been defeated but the fear of its re-emergence continues to haunt the people who have trickled back into Raqqa. Even if ISIS were stamped out, the city's mostly Arab population has other existential threats to worry about: the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, their de facto rulers, are embroiled in conflict with Turkey on Syria's northern border while Mr Al Assad is coiled in the wings, waiting for an opportunity to reassert his regime's authority there. As the recent battle for Yarmouk – decimated by the regime's barrel bombs – demonstrated yet again, ordinary Syrians and their property are viewed as expendable by Mr Al Assad. His sole obsession is territory and in his push for absolute control, he is as unsparing as ISIS. Few will regard the flag planted by his government in Yarmouk as a symbol of their liberation. To most, it heralds the continuation in a different guise of the savagery which they endured over the past years under the rule of militants.

Given the absence of a global will to effect political change in Syria, it is hardly an exaggeration to say that the worst is far from over for the people of Raqqa. Currently, there is no effective administration to speak of. Its people live in isolation, constantly on alert for threats while the most rudimentary communication requires them to travel for hours through perilous territory to Ain Assa, the seat that passes for government. Raqqa been reduced to a primitive state where death lingers in the air and the only signs of modernity are the weapons wielded by the Kurdish fighters stationed there. Rebuilding it will take years and require a financial commitment that no party – especially in a time of war – is likely to make. Raqqa in its current state will be a shattered reliquary of the Syrian civil war for the foreseeable future. The tragedy is that even that might not remain by the time Mr Al Assad is done with it.

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

ABU DHABI TRIATHLON

For more information, and to enter the race, please visit www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.

'Skin'

Dir: Guy Nattiv

Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures

Monday, Sept 30

Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)

Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)

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The specs

  Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now

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Profile of Foodics

Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani

Based: Riyadh

Sector: Software

Employees: 150

Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing

Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.

Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas

Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa

Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong

Rating: 3/5

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

Our family matters legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

How to help

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (UAE kick-off times)

Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)

Saturday

Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)

Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)

Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)

Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)

Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)

Sunday

Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)

SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
UAE Premiership

Results

Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes

Final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, Friday, March 29, 5pm at The Sevens, Dubai

Profile Box

Company/date started: 2015

Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif

Based: Manama, Bahrain

Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation

Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads

Stage: 1 ($100,000)

Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)

The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm

Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km

Price: from Dh285,000

On sale: from January 2022 

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