Damascus, AFP,  20 September 2017 – US-backed fighters have captured 90 percent of the Syrian city of Raqqa from ISIS after overrunning five strategic neighborhoods, a monitor said on Wednesday.

“Because of the heavy (US-led) coalition air strikes, ISIS withdrew from at least five key neighborhoods over the past 48 hours,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights chief Rami Abdel Rahman.

“This allowed the Syrian Democratic Forces to control 90 percent of the city.”