A village on a flat land. The weather is hot. Mudbrick houses catch the eye. The fighters enter the village, walking over arid earth. They are in a row, walking back to back. Anything slightly resembling green are some trees, very few and far between. The air is the color of the earth.

As soon as the fighters reach the village, they are greeted with much enthusiasm. Fighters who greet them at the entrance of the village share their joy with them.

This is the Yamama village, to the northwest of Hurriyah (Azadi / Freedom) Dam in the Raqqa region. The dam and the village are 5 km apart. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated this village from ISIS in the operations they carried out within the Wrath of Euphrates. Fighters set out for the village on May 23 in the afternoon, and cleared the gangs of the village by the evening.

The villagers shared the joy they felt to be rid of ISIS with the fighters. A villager greeted the SDF fighters coming to their village and kissing people on their heads. And suddenly: “You are very welcome. ISIS is over. We are now rid of ISIS. We are now free.”

Another villager says the same, waving a white piece of cloth: You are very welcome. We are now rid of ISIS.

Then a whole group started chanting, “You are very welcome. ISIS is over. We are now rid of ISIS. We are now free.”

A woman was waving, with a child in her lap, trying to make the infant do the same. Children, young people, old people, they were all ecstatic.