ANALYSIS BY BJÖRN BRENNER
Following IS/Daesh’s ouster from Raqqa, new local conflict lines emerge as different actors begin to manoeuvre aspiring to gain control over the war-torn territory.
Summary of analysis:
”One of the key policy analysis questions now is who will eventually take control over northeastern Syria. Will it be the SDF, Assad-loyal militias, or perhaps Turkey?”
”The SDF appears to be accentuating its partly Kurdish identity. If this continues, SDF presence in the Raqqa region will not be accepted by Turkey, neither by the Raqqans themselves who are 99 percent Sunni.”
Listen to/watch the full analysis (in Swedish):
“Mellanösternforskare: IS kommer att utkräva hämnd”
Intervju i SVT Morgonstudion, 18 oktober 2017.
“Nu handlar det bara om att överleva i Raqqa”
Intervju i SR P1-morgon, 18 oktober 2017.
“Skräckregimen slut för Raqqas invånare”
Kommentar till TT, 17 oktober 2017.
Picture (top): Raqqa in 2010 before the IS/Daesh siege
Picture (below): Raqqa’s beautiful Shia shrine before it was destroyed by Daesh
The copyright to all photos belongs to Björn Brenner.
