U.S.-backed forces launch final assault against ISIS in Raqqa

The Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias backed by the United States, says it controls more than 90 percent of Raqqa, Syria, and won't stop fighting for the last seven neighborhoods until every Islamic State fighter is gone.

Raqqa is ISIS's de facto capital, and on Sunday, the Syrian Democratic Forces made a final push to get ISIS militants out of its last strongholds in the city. They started their offensive to recapture Raqqa in June, and some commanders believe they may have the entire city under their control within a few days, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Several civilians were able to leave Raqqa over the weekend after tribal and council leaders negotiated safe passage, and a Kurdish news agency filmed footage of residents greeting Syrian Democratic Forces troops with kisses and hugs. In August, officials said they believed 4,000 citizens remained in Raqqa, which has been devastated by constant bombings. Most of ISIS's leaders once lived in the city, and it's where they planned some of their most heinous foreign attacks, but most fighters have left for Syria's Dair Alzour province, and experts say that's likely where the group is planning its last stand.

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