Hazima
Ethnic tensions begin to show over teaching of Kurdish in Raqqa
The few bullet-marked schools Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) did not flatten or booby trap around its former Syrian stronghold of Raqqa are buzzing for the first time in years with the sound of children learning.
In the village of Hazima, north of Raqqa, teachers gave ad-hoc alphabet lessons to crammed classrooms on a recent summer's day before the start of term.
US-backed forces announce 'great battle' to capture Syria's Raqqa
The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces said on June 6 they were launching a new phase in their assault on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group's bastion Raqqa, after advancing to the city's outskirts.