Since Raqqa became ISIS’ de-facto capital in Syria, many parts of the city have been reduced to rubble with few signs of life in sight.

First taken in 2014, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) – part of the US-led offensive – began efforts to retake the terror group’s last major stronghold in June this year.

Photojournalist Gabriel Chaim was there to capture the city through drone footage and photographs, reports CNN:

For the past three years, access to Raqqa has been extremely limited — only smuggled videos and occasional satellite footage have provided a glimpse into the besieged city.

Under ISIS’ brutal regime, phones and cameras were banned and anyone caught with videos or images could have faced death.

From the drone’s bird-eye perspective, we can see how empty the western part of the city’s streets are as plumes of smoke billow from buildings. Other structures have been flattened by bombs.

According to SDF, up to 20 000 people remain in the city, trapped in their homes, “fearful of fleeing because of snipers, air raids and street battles”.

Take a look at Chaim’s aerial footage:

Heartbreak.

CNN has a collection of images from the city which you can see here.

[source:cnn]