As Wrath of Euphrates fighters narrow the circle around Raqqa, they on the other hand enable the locals access to safe areas under their control.

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters consolidate their emplacements around the Tabqa town of Raqqa which is now within visibility distance and their next goal to liberate. The people in the areas liberated from ISIS, especially children, feel excited and start to make victory signs as they see the freedom fighters.

We notice a mobility in an area close the press centre we set up to follow the battle against ISIS gangs in Tabqa region. We join the freedom fighters to patrol, get on their vehicles after getting their approval, and we set off on the paths opened through fields with an armored vehicle and two other cars. Our convoy then heads from near the Tabqa Airport to the positions of freedom fighters deployed near Tabqa. On our route, we pass through villages liberated by the fighters, seeing locals making victory signs as they see the vehicles of the freedom fighters travelling in their areas.

At that moment, fighters we are travelling with stop near the children greeting them with joy, and give them chocolate and cakes they have with them.

As we head towards the positions, the fighters situated throughout our route also meet our convoy with victory signs. It then starts to rain, heavily, and the sun gives way to clouds and lightning. After 20 minutes of rain, the roads we travel on are covered with mud.

Our journey ends as darkness falls, after which we turn back to our press centre with a warm goodbye of Arab fighters who communicate with us and express their unity through Kurdish fighters that know Arabic and translate their words for us.