With The Fall Of Raqqa, The War Has Intensified In Other Parts Of Syria

American-backed forces have largely driven the Islamic State from Raqqa, above. The big question is who will rule it next. Credit Ivor Prickett for The New York Times

New York Times: As ISIS’ Role in Syria Wanes, Other Conflicts Take the Stage

BEIRUT, Lebanon — American-backed forces have barely begun to clear the land mines from Raqqa after pushing the Islamic State from the city, the de facto capital of its self-declared caliphate.

But the militants’ defeat there is already setting the stage for a new round of conflict and instability in Syria’s long civil war.

Fleeing jihadists are already regrouping in remote areas, rearming with the help of desert smugglers. Tensions are brewing over who will ultimately control Raqqa, where American-backed Kurdish and Arab forces declared victory on Tuesday.

And as the Islamic State threat wanes, the Syrian government is expected to return its military attention to the Syrian rebels, intensifying the kind of bombardment that has led to mass civilian casualties, with no sign of a political solution in sight.

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WNU Editor:  Bottom line .... even though the city of Raqqa has fallen, the war in Syria is far from over.