Temperatures in Raqqa reach easily 50 degrees and cover the earth mercilessly in torrid blazes. This scorching heat leaves humans staying in the open with a ever growing blurry vision.

In the shadow of a building, demolished for most of its part, the fighters are leaning back a little. Each of them tries to take a nap in one of the corners as a long night is awaiting them.

The fighters who are engaged in battle from evening until sunrise, need to take some break now as it offers them. Gathered in small groups they put up their feet at each adequate spot available. But some of them managed to sleep for one or two hours and do not show the faintest sign of exhaustion. Instead, they are dancing cheerfully in a ring to Arabic music. It doesn't appear to anyone, that these enthusiastic dancers will head to a heavy fight soon. The core of these beautiful light-hearted humans, only Kurds and the people local to these lands do understand.

THEY HAVE SHOULDERED THE HOPES OF HUMANITY

Dancing is a rite in the Middle East. These lands are home to people who are used to dancing together before each fight they take part in. Dancing represents for them defiance and rebellion.

The hope and the freedom gleaming in their eyes leaves everyone around them in excitement. Though they know that their burden is heavy, as they have shouldered the hopes of humanity. They know the reason well for being in the heart of this heavy embattled war zone.

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

At 2pm the fighters will gather and drive with vehicles to meet at the checkpoint. Now preparations for the Great Battle are the order of the day. Some are taking a meal, some are putting together their equipment. More and more armoured vehicles are arriving, ready to enter the war.

WE ARE DEPARTING

Each unit's commander is attending a last brief meeting. Finally the units are boarding the armoured vehicles, while we enter a tank together with another group, heading directly to Raqqa inner city. The destroyed and torn streets and buildings are demanding from us to witness the sheer violence of the war. A nasty stench blending blood and explosives is sticking in the air. The dense smog emanating from the city hsd formed dark clouds in the sky. Fighters positioned on the roofs of some of the remaining high buildings are waving to their newly arrived comrades.

The more we move ahead, the more darkness falls in. The armoured vehicles stop in front of a building. Gunfire riddles the silence. Right now only 200 metres parts us from the ongoing fight. We deactivate our camera's flash light, as light can turn here into a danger. Some fighters are coming out of a building, whereupon we enter the house. Its walls were damaged to the point of no repair. The fighters climb from there to the roof, take position and wait.

TIME TO MOVE

The commander of the unit calls his fighters to him and discusses with them. On a sudden all together cheer in unison slogans in a high spirit.

Then they leave the building and vanish in the darkness of the night. Half an hour later the sound of gunfire and explosions shakes the air, continuing until sunrise. The next day, all those fighters who fought non stop until morning, climb again into the armoured vehicles they came with and head once more to the resting place.