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In Syria's Raqqa, Corpses Still Lie in The Rubble

by Reuters

   RAQQA, SYRIA --

   The stench of rotting corpses rises from piles of rubble and destroyed
   buildings that line the streets of Syria's Raqqa, serving as a bitter
   reminder of the brutal battle for the recapture of the former Islamic
   State stronghold.

   Islamic State declared a caliphate in 2014 and at the height of its
   power ruled over millions of people in parts of Syria and Iraq. The
   militant group had declared Raqqa the capital of its self-proclaimed
   state.

   But the city was retaken by U.S.-backed militias last October, after a
   four-month battle that left hundreds of civilians dead and most of its
   neighborhoods flattened.
   Rescue workers say they are struggling to retrieve dozens of bodies
   still trapped under mounds of debris around the city.

   "We are calling for more support, this support must include machinery
   which we need desperately in order to continue our work," said Yaser
   Khamis, head of the First Responders Unit formed by the Raqqa Civil
   Council, set up to rebuild and govern the city.

   In one building, rescuers were cutting through wires and lifting heavy
   slabs of concrete in search of corpses or body parts trapped
   underneath. Hours later, workers said they were able to retrieve 20
   bodies. But Khamis fears they are not working fast enough.

   "The danger alarms are beginning to sound in this area, diseases and
   epidemics are starting to spread," he said. "We currently have more
   than 114 requests for digging and exhumation of bodies."
   According to a 2009 World Health Organization report, there is no clear
   evidence that links corpses to the spread of epidemic diseases.
   However, rescuers who routinely handle dead bodies risk contracting
   tuberculosis and gastrointestinal infections, as well as potential
   effects on mental health.

   Since starting their operations, the First Responders Unit say they
   have exhumed more than 500 corpses. Forensic pathologists examine the
   bodies and try to identify them.

   "We check the body, its general condition, whether it is male or
   female, child or elder. We look at body parts, some rotting," said Dr.
   Abu Ibrahim. But most remain unidentified and are buried in a special
   graveyard near the city.
   Rebuilding and restoring the city, which was once home to more than
   200,000 people, is proving to be a monumental task.

   During a recent visit to the town, Syria country director for the
   United Nations World Food Program, Jakob Kern, estimated that "two
   thirds" of Raqqa had been destroyed in fighting.

   The Raqqa Civil Council has said it will take 5.3 billion Syrian lira
   (about $10 million) a year to restore power and water supplies, roads
   and schools.

   The United States backed the campaign to drive Islamic State from
   Raqqa, and in February said it would invest money in "stabilization"
   efforts there. But last month, U.S. President Donald Trump decided to
   freeze more than $200 million for recovery efforts in Syria while
   Washington reassessed its role in the conflict, administration
   officials said.