Syria war: US-backed forces 'control' Raqqa

US-backed forces in Syria say they now control so-called Islamic State's one-time capital of Raqqa, with only few dozen militants remaining in the city.

The Syrian Democratic Forces say they have retaken al-Naim square, where IS once held public executions. The official declaration that the city has been recaptured is expected soon, a BBC correspondent reports.

Earlier, a convoy of local IS fighters and their families left Raqqa as part of a preplanned departure. No foreign fighters were allowed to join them, the SDF says. More than 3,000 civilians have escaped the city in recent days, local forces say.

Raqqa was one of the first large cities IS took over in 2014 and had held control there for three years.

UCJ, UNILORIN.