After filming IS horrors, Raqa activists become war reporters

BEIRUT: They honed their media skills secretly filming Islamic State group beheadings in Raqa. Now, these Syrian activists have become impromptu war reporters, covering the US-backed assault on their city from the ground.

“If the crack is sharp and the column of smoke goes straight up, it’s an air strike,” Syrian activist Tim Ramadan tells AFP from Raqa, using a pseudonym and communicating through a Facebook profile that disguises his identity.