Raqqa Province After the SDF: Interview with the City Council of al-Tabqa

Despite controlling parts of Raqqa province (most notably the cities of Raqqa and al-Tabqa) for several years, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ultimately proved unable to cement their legitimacy among much of the local population, which may have tolerated the SDF as an alternative to the Islamic State and the Assad regime but was then more than happy to accept and welcome in a new Sunni Arab-led central government.

With the rapid collapse of the SDF in Raqqa province amid the Syrian government’s offensive, Syrian government-affiliated institutions have quickly moved in to fill the void left by the SDF’s retreat. Below is an interview conducted recently on 21 January with a representative of the city council of al-Tabqa (also known as al-Thawra) regarding the current situation in the city, including various photos of life following the capture of the city from the SDF.