Syrian city once held by ISIL still lacks clean water, electricity and schools, Save the Children report finds.

27 Jul 2021

Four years after the battle for the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, children and families are still living in damaged homes with severely limited access to clean water, electricity, and education, a report by Save the Children has found.

Raqqa, once the self-styled “capital” of the ISIL (ISIS) group in Syria, was subjected in 2017 to a heavy air and ground offensive by the US-led coalition to defeat the group and gain control of the city. Keep readingUN demands accountability over Syria mass disappearancesDisplaced Syrians struggle with brutal summer heatPresident Bashar al-Assad sworn in for 4th term in war-hit Syria

At the peak of the bombing campaign, the city faced 150 air raids a day, causing immense damage to the infrastructure and buildings, many of which remain in ruins, according to the report published on Tuesday.

“Children and their families in Raqqa live every day in a ruined city, with limited options, amid drought, pandemic and a Syria-wide economic crisis,” Sonia Khush, the Syria Response Director for Save the Children, said.