DAMASCUS, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have fully captured Syria's northern city of Raqqa, after defeating the Islamic State (IS) group on Tuesday, the SDF spokesman told Xinhua.
"The military operations in Raqqa have ended and now the city is being mopped up in search of sleeper cells if existed," Talal Silo told Xinhua.
The city is also being combed in search of mines, as the situation in Raqqa has been completely controlled by the SDF.
"Soon we will have an official statement about the liberation of Raqqa," he said.
"Sure the city of Raqqa has been liberated, and the military operations have ended, but we are mopping up the city," he stressed.
The victory marks the first major defeat to IS in Syria, as Raqqa is the de facto capital of the terror-designated group.
The SDF and allied fighters with the help of the U.S.-led coalition have launched the operations to liberate Raqqa from IS four months ago.
In the last week, a deal was struck between the SDF and IS with the mediation of local tribes in Raqqa for their surrender.
The local fighters and their families, as well as civilians, evacuated Raqqa, while the foreign fighters remained to fight till the end.
Earlier in the day, the SDF was fighting IS in its last position in the city's local stadium, after capturing the national hospitals and a few areas that have remained with IS.
IS declared Raqqa as its de facto capital in 2014, after announcing their self-styled caliphate in Syria.
