SDF tunnel network in Raqqa could swallow homes and roads, residents fear

Residents of Raqqa fear that extensive tunnelling operations by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could lead to structural damage, swallowing up homes and roads in the northeastern Syrian city.

On 26 March, a section of Wadi Street in Raqqa collapsed when a truck drove along it, with a tunnel later discovered underneath that section of the road.

This led to public calls for a halt to the tunnelling operations by the SDF, but no response has been forthcoming from the group.

Subsidence was also recently discovered close to Raqqa's Jaraksah Mosque, putting buildings in the area at risk of collapsing.

Salama Faisal, a Raqqa resident, told The New Arab's Arabic-language sister edition that many tunnels had been dug under the city, posing a risk to the city's houses and infrastructure.   

"According to local information, there are entire underground facilities," said Faisal.

"We don't know why they are being dug, but we are scared some could be converted into storage depots for weapons".

He said that while the SDF-run Autonomous Administration often promoted "public service projects" it was engaging in in Raqqa, "the tunnels have nothing to do with public services".

Local sources in Raqqa have indicated that a sprawling network of tunnels exists beneath the city, located in the Euphrates Valley area, which has crumbling soil prone to collapse.

Raqqa resident, Fares Dhakira, said shafts under the central neighbourhoods of Raqqa date back to the days the Islamic State group controlled the city, "when the group built a complex tunnel network".

Now, the SDF are digging in the same way under central and residential parts of the city, he said, posing a threat to buildings above ground.

Omar al-Hajj, another Raqqa resident, described the situation as "extremely worrying", saying the city's large population "desperately needs basic services like sanitation, water and more", while digging tunnels underneath civilian areas poses a reckless disregard for residents' lives, he says.

"[I don't know] how Raqqa municipality will justify these activities, but in any case, they refuse to talk about the risks, always saying they are working to benefit the city's residents," he said.

In April, local media reported that Raqqa had witnessed dozens of tunnelling operations over the past two months, including tunnels dug near al-Naeem Roundabout in Raqqa's downtown, the National Hospital, and Silo Bridge at the northern entrance to the city.

The operations also extended into densely populated neighbourhoods like Firdous and al-Jamili, where fears of catastrophic land collapses are growing due to the tunnels' proximity to the surface and soil instability.

The local campaign 'Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently', asserts that the tunnels are for military purposes.

This is an edited translation from our Arabic edition.